Before he was born, his mum, dad and sister went to work at a wood-cutting facility to try to pay off a debt with their daily wages. But what they thought was a good job quickly turned into a life of abuse. A cruel man, they called The Beast, gained complete control over every aspect of their lives.

Their conditions were horrific, and the abuse they suffered was overwhelming. It became clear that their future would be once of slavery if they didn’t find a way out.

Only a few days before Bablu was born, IJM went to investigate the facility alongside local authorities. Despite threats, Bablu’s mum harnessed all of her courage and spoke boldly, telling the authorities everything about the abuse and torment they had experienced. Because of her courage and the partnership of people like you, IJM intervened in his family's life and got to witness not only their rescue but Bablu being born into freedom!

Enjoy this brief glimpse into a life changed: a sweet little clip of baby Bablu figuring out if he likes cake, his adorable sister singing “Happy Birthday " to him, and an entire family celebrating love, freedom and joy.

Let us take you to Chennai, in India.

This clip shows what happened in the aftermath of an IJM rescue of 44 boys and 32 young men, all of whom had been trafficked from their homes about 1,000 miles away. These men and boys were forced to labour in factories, day and night, making hundreds of pieces of gold jewelry — often handling terrible chemicals and breathing metal dust without protection. It was, in short, horrific.

Yet here’s the hope. When IJM and local officials brought the boys to a safe location (and arrested the suspects who abused them), they were overwhelmed with joy. When we told them they’d get to go home, here’s how they responded.

The person being hugged is one of our IJM staff members, and if you’re like us, we can’t stop replaying this moment. It personifies hope, joy and the beauty of what’s possible when people keep showing up and caring for those in need of rescue.

Let us introduce you to our next hero, Thaiyamma. You can read her story of how she took a courageous shot at freedom, so her baby Bablu could be born free.

Here's the hope: once hidden from the world while they were in bonded labour slavery - today Thaiyamma and many other survivor leaders are paving the way for a better future for them and their communities. Thaiyamma and Pacchiayammal (pictured) are two of the former bonded labourers now advocating for the rights of survivors. Over the last two weeks, these women have been on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19, helping raise awareness of the virus to hundreds of survivors. You can read more about how survivors have been helping others through the global pandemic here.