In this post I want to talk a bit about Delali and the difficulty of the issue with him specifically. I said in my first post that I felt like he was an evil man, and I think that is true. Do I think he is outside the reach of God's grace? Not as long as he is still breathing. But having said that, we get to the issue of "What can we do about this?". One thing that I learned this past weekend is that the issue of child slavery and trafficking is very complicated. Even though its morally and ethically wrong, and a majority of people would quickly agree with that, dealing with the issue is not quite so cut and dried. Let me try to explain.
We do know that Delali has multiple wives. Exactly how many is unclear. He has 18 children, all of whom live with him. At least one of his wives has died, leaving only him as guardian for several of the children. He is obviously feared by the other people who live there, and we know that he uses some of his own children to fish as well. We also know he is willing to use his own, or anyone else's children for his own gain, regardless of the damage it may cause.
The information that we were able to get suggests that there may have been another non-profit rescue organization there at some time. Johnbull also knows that the non-profit has been known to pay fishermen for children, sometimes without doing any investigating to find out where the child came from or where their family might be. When we arrived at Delali's house, it was pretty clear that he was expecting money. It was also our feeling that Delali could not support all of his family and have the things that he has from his fishing income alone. His house is the only one in the village with a metal roof. I also noticed a motorcycle and a generator. Most other families couldn't afford these things, so it leaves us wondering how he could afford such things. Again, we are talking about someone whose annual income is about the same as what an average American worker would earn in a couple weeks.
So here is the big question. What should be done? Our first reaction...my first reaction is that this man should pay. He should not be allowed to get away with this. But if he is arrested and jailed, what about the 18 kids and wives who he does support, even though it may be barely. It's not quite an easy decision now. But there is no question... he can't be allowed to continue what he is doing.
I said before that this ultimately is a heart issue, and I'm not sure anyone but God can change this man's heart. And what about those organizations that actually do go into an area like this and pay to get kids out of this situation, thinking they are helping? Many of them are only concerned with numbers that look good for a fundraising campaign.
"Look, we rescued x number of child slaves this year- Won't you help us get more?"
Ultimately, they are creating a worse problem by using this practice. So I'm praying that God will show us wisdom in how to proceed. I'm praying that God will change Delali's heart. Maybe by the fact that we refused to pay for any children will show the people around him that we believe in a higher cause. Believe me, we drew quite a crowd at his house before it was all over. I'm also praying that justice will prevail for the children at the lake. God sees each one, and I trust that He is in control.
I would ask that you pray these things as well, and also be aware that just because an aid organization has impressive numbers does not mean that they are truly being effective. I know that the idealistic American view of ministry and missions is often wrapped up in statistics. God is not impressed with statistics... just love and our humble submission.
Cayle
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