International Day of the Girl Child

Her face is bowed… Eyes fixed on small clasped hands… Shrouded in shadows of shame, cultural oppression and helplessness.

When our girls are first rescued, most of them sleep.

They sleep for days.

This is how their recovery of freedom begins…

Learning to understand that their liberty comes with safety and rest.

And value.

And opportunities.

And hope.

She has a long journey ahead. In order to sustain her freedom, she will rewrite her narrative, rewire her identity, and interrupt cycles of chronic, persistent, historical stressors such as implicit bias and generational poverty.

But first, she sleeps.

The formidable reality is that today, girls worldwide are tackling major life-altering issues such as: safety, street harassment and assault, child marriage, education inequality, gender-based violence, sexism, sanitation access, changing environments, self-esteem, employment disadvantages, and even a girls’ rights to enter places of worship or public spaces during menstruation.

These issues have disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities and their children — especially girls. The double-discrimination comes against their age and their gender. When girls are intimidated and restricted, the long-term implications can imprint their futures with disadvantage. Girls are being denied the chance to learn and develop skills that will empower them to create and take charge in their own lives, homes, careers, communities and countries.

This is a complex intergenerational problem across the globe that many organizations are addressing with their expertise and resources.

For the past 7 years, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl.

Every day at Destiny Rescue we recognize the unique challenges girls face; and every day we value their rights.

Every day
— and every night —
we advocate
for their freedom
and equal opportunity.

One precious girl at a time.

Every day we are helping girls find their voice, their smile, their dreams.

We Rescue Girls

Our undercover operatives are constantly on the search for underage girls subjugated by the sex-industry.

These rescue agents pose as customers in bars, brothels and other sexually exploitative environments, where they seek to build trust with each girl, to offer her a way out and bring her to safety.

They also work in partnership with local law enforcement and government agencies to rescue groups of underaged victims, and close down establishments known to exploit children. We are determined to see perpetrators held accountable.

Agents monitor regional areas and intervene in instances of child marriage, religious prostitution enslavement (jogini) and situations of abuse. We maintain relationships with families and community leaders to ensure girls can lead safe and protected lives.

We Empower Girls

Destiny Rescue provides individualized services (and partners with other organizations) to help rescued children stay free. Depending on her particular needs, our support could include:

• Assessment of her physical and mental needs; and healthcare when needed
• Relationship building with her community
• Vocational training
• Education assistance
• Employment assistance
• Group psychoeducation sessions
• Regular casework support
• Financial assistance
• Life skills education
• Relationship building between her family and community
• Connecting her family with available community and government resources and support

We Protect Girls

We believe prevention is better than cure, so we aim to empower rural communities to be thriving, healthy, safe places for women and children to live.

Our aftercare support teams collaborate with local communities to provide education in areas such as: human trafficking, child protection, women’s rights, online safety, sustainable living, and building resilience and hope for the future.

It is our passion to see communities empowered with the knowledge and tools necessary to safeguard themselves from the dangers of exploitation.

Today we invite you to join us. Come alongside young girls with your compassion and support.

Together, we can bring the challenges girl’s face into the light. Together, we can develop new perspectives, and create new paths forward. There are many ways you can stand with us and the girls we serve.