Meeting - 5 August 2024

Guest Speaker: Joanne Hand

Topic: “A Global Overview of Modern Slavery and the Work of Hagar International.”

Today, 49.6 million people live in modern slavery. 1 in 4 of them are innocent children. 54% are women and girls, bearing the brunt of this atrocity. 27.6 million people face forced labour, including commercial sexual exploitation, while 22 million are coerced into forced marriage. Hagar International is a Swiss-based humanitarian non-profit organization offering services and assistance to these abused people. It is focused on helping victims with recovery. It was founded in Cambodia in 1994 extending services to Afghanistan and Vietnam in 2009 and then to Myanmar in 2014. Hagar International works with male victims in addition to women and children. The main goal is to help victims achieve stability, financial independence though skill-based training and job opportunity programs.

Joanne works for Hagar New Zealand, a global Christian charity engaged in intensive trauma recovery and empowerment services for survivors of slavery, trafficking and abuse. Hagar also engages in prevention activities and builds the capacity of governments, social service structures and local duty bearers in the nations they work in.  Their vision is to end Modern Slavery.

During her career, Joanne has been involved in multiple issues that disproportionally impact women and girls including domestic violence, HIV infection, and gender equity issues.  She spent many years working in Turkey on projects to empower Kurdish women.  Her commitment to the status of women and girls in the world continues with the work of Hagar New Zealand. 

Join us for what will be a real enlightening presentation. Spouses and partners would appreciate joining us for this event.