By Kielce Gussie
One woman has turned her story of pain and suffering into one of empowerment and dialogue. After surviving sexual and domestic violence as a child, Pauline Akinyi Juma founded Rebirth of a Queen, an organization designed to embolden and include survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and human trafficking in the process of decision making.
The organization has various programs including Safe House, Raising Authentic Voices, and the Elimisha Project. The Safe House is a shelter where survivors and refugees who have been trafficked or have faced violence can stay both short-term and long-term. Raising Authentic Voices provides mentorships to teens and young people to raise awareness on mental health. Rebirth of a Queen also provides formal and informal holistic education to vulnerable groups through their Elimisha Project.
A support system for survivors
Created in 2020, Rebirth of a Queen was established to be a “support system for survivors.” In an interview with Vatican News’ Stefano Leszcynski, Pauline Akinyi Juma explains how too often the focus is “on the perpetrators.” Thus, the organization highlights the importance of changing the narrative, placing the focus on the survivors and victims and on prevention.
This is important because, as Juma highlights, in some places around the world, human trafficking is not fully understood. As a result, “most of the survivors do not receive justice.” If people do not know what it is, the response often comes in the form of attacks. “Last year, 2024, we were attacked three times by perpetrators,” Juma explains, “the girls and young women in the shelter were in danger and had to be moved from once place to the other.”
Limited space but full of support
In 2020, an international NGO reported between 35,000 and 40,000 victims of sex trafficking in Kenya, where Juma is from. She describes the context of trafficking in the country as being complex as the only shelter for survivors and victims is private. “We don’t have a government funded shelter in the country,” Juma says, “and sometimes our spaces are just too limited.”
Currently, 38 people are being housed in the Rebirth of a Queen shelter. That means a full house. As a result of having such limited resources, “victims or survivors just stay in the place they’re in.”
Another challenge Juma faces in her work is the difficulty in changing people’s perspective on human trafficking. “People still believe it is not happening,” she explains. The challenge is then that “no one really believes in the victims’ voices.”
Remembering human dignity
When looking to find the root causes of trafficking, they can vary from country to country and are often influenced by social, economic, cultural, and other factors. Poverty is often pointed to as the root issue. Yet, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime calls out another factor, that is “that the desire of potential victims to migrate is exploited.”
“It’s poverty that takes us away from our countries to go to other countries to look for an opportunity,” Juma points out. She stresses it is important for everyone to remember that they are human beings, no matter where they go. And as humans, they deserve dignity.
Creating a better world
Juma believes that if everyone keeps human dignity at the center and if victims and survivors are included in “creating programs that are safe for them, then we can create a better world for all of us.”
But she stresses that an end to human trafficking and the creation of a better world can only happen if we move beyond words and begin to take action. “We have the time. We have the strength to do this. And that action means creating a network that is powerful for the world.” – Vatican News
