As a young girl, I jokingly told my cousin, without fully knowing what it meant, that one day I would abolish slavery. It was a phrase I heard from a cartoon explaining the American slavery abolishment, and at that time I thought those words sounded fun. Little did I know that as I grew up, I would actually come to advocate against modern-day slavery.
My journey of advocacy started when I was 19. I attended the YSEALI*6 workshop, with the theme “Ideas into Action.” During the workshop, I discussed a regional project idea about modern-day slavery, which led me to co-found Youth Against Slavery Brunei with my friend.
In the beginning, the advocacy seemed almost impossible. We quickly realized that many modern-day slavery issues like forced labor, debt bondage, discrimination, contract switching, and the holding back of identity documents were seen as normal in my country, especially by locals against migrants, and sometimes even other locals. Challenges like these and the lack of awareness in my country have motivated us to work harder. We eventually managed to reach out and get the police, labor, and immigration departments to work together, and in recent years our awareness level has gradually increased.
Also, we found another way to attract more people to the issue—use the power of stories. Telling and hearing stories is fundamental for us as humans and helps us understand each other on a deeper level. As we were inspired by the “Humans of New York” style of storytelling, we set out to photo-journal the stories of migrant workers in my country and held exhibition events titled “Stories of Migrant.” This gives us a chance not only to make new friends but also truly understand and relate to the plight of migrant workers. We all have a story to tell, after all.
I think there are still a lot of things for us to do on this journey of advocacy. We’ve heard many stories; some are sad, some are happy, and some are even inspiring. It is my hope and dream that somewhere along this journey, we can be more respectful and compassionate towards one another. It is also my hope and dream that one day we as humans no longer exploit one another. To echo the words of Nelson Mandela, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
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