Restore God’s image and share Jesus’ abundant life

Benjamin Chan

March 20, 2023

Congratulations, Soma Chakraborty and Samaresh Nayak, for receiving another Palmer Grant to continue the Prevention, Intervention and Rehabilitation in Human Trafficking Program. I am amazed and praise God that Soma and her leaders team have achieved tremendous results in 2022, especially in the areas of

1. Impact in the Churches: Through a total of 14 awareness programs we have reached 1,249 people out of which 548 were women, 250 were youth and a partner has taken up Anti-Trafficking as fulltime ministry under its church council.
2. Impact through media: Different radio awareness programs were aired in English, Nepali, Hindi, Bengali and Odia through or partnership with All India Radio and Feba Radio, in different states in India and social media has helped to reach more than 10,000 people and also to raise local funds.
3. Impact through partnership: India Mission Coordination Committee (IMCC) in the areas of intervention through Partnerships with Churches, Faith Based Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and the law enforcement have rescued 7 trafficked women including a minor.

Samaresh comments that “Anti-Trafficking needs to be seen and realized as a serious ‘Christian ministry of liberation from captivity’ and the very core to the gospel of Christ as mentioned in the Nazareth Manifesto in Luke 4:18-21. As Soma is working hard to raise the awareness of churches and communities, she needs local and international support.”

Soma shares that “Many times the girls we approach do not take this abuse and exploitation as something wrong but as their natural way of living. We face tremendous difficulties to define the voluntary level and the degree of victimization in cases like this as these trafficked victims are harder to identify, which has also subsequently brought new challenges for the law enforcement and NGOs who want to assist the entire process of rehabilitation and prosecution. Please pray for us as we walk challenging steps every day to serve God and rescue life.”

Samaresh Nayak is the IMCC Executive Director, and Soma Chakraborty is the Director of IMCC Commission on Anti-Human Trafficking. Click to visit IMCC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/India-Mission-Coordination-Committee-IMCC/100064819293172; and related article in the International Ministries 2021 to 2022 Annual Report, page 21: https://internationalministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2022-IM-annual-report-final-no-blue-stripe-small-.pdf?fbclid=IwAR23KMwgoxQI0-yQVrV9ur-AmB1cBU8Pvl4G-bxgK6PaIamQ22POFQp_wnk .