One Child At A Time
An Interview with Tony Kirwan
Prior to travelling to Asia, Tony Kirwan was unaware that child sex trafficking existed. While staying in Thailand, however, he heard stories of children being sold for 400 dollars, and was determined to help. From this, the seed for Destiny Rescue was sown. What started as a moment of calling for Tony has turned into a worldwide organisation that fights for the rights of children.
Destiny Rescue teams enter brothels, bars and red-light districts to rescue and counsel children. Their goal is to end sexual slavery, one child at a time.
“We take the safety of the children we serve very seriously. As we prepare for rescue efforts, we work to find the safest method to set them free.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, it is not uncommon for people to be ignorant of the exact scope of child trafficking.
“We don’t believe this subject is given enough attention in Australia,” Tony says. “Occasionally, the media will run a story and we have been featured on SBS Dateline, The Project and Sunday Night, for which we are very thankful. However, without consistent reporting, momentum is quickly lost.”
Still, things are improving on the horizon. The Australian Government has introduced a Victim Assistance Program, and financially supports anti-trafficking efforts throughout Southeast Asia. Destiny Rescue communicates with churches, schools and other community programs to increase attention to the issue.
“Although [it] can seem somewhat overwhelming, it is heartening to see governments in some of the countries that we operate in setting up committees, coordinating anti-trafficking activities and implementing national action plans. As human trafficking does not require movement across borders and can occur easily within a country's own borders, these intra-governmental partnerships can be effective for information sharing and alerting the appropriate authorities when instances of human trafficking are identified.”
Destiny Rescue has an online magazine that acts as a platform for the stories of survivors and volunteers. At the same time, certain publicised issues such as the Westpac scandal have allowed their voices to be heard.
Photo of Destiny’s Rescue Prevention Team in Mount Village
“The recent Westpac scandal helped to get the issue of child trafficking into the media for a short period and former CEO Brian Hartzer did respond to Destiny Rescue and said he was willing to start a dialogue about this issue. We are still progressing this with Westpac.”
Destiny Rescue has even worked with law enforcement.
“Our work in finding and rescuing underage girls from the sex industry has continuously evolved and today includes partnerships with law enforcement agencies. This has led to being an integral help to them in finding the criminal elements and apprehending them. We have seen that the consequences of these raids, including arrests and the shutting down of bars/brothels, act as a deterrent for those considering having children in their establishments, particularly in Thailand and the Philippines.”
Tony continues to talk about the impact his program has had on the children. The organisation commits to running ‘aftercare units’ that provide the children with skills to allow for a gentler transition. In this way, they acknowledge that sexual slavery can be a vicious cycle, and the next step after rescue is to prevent it from happening again.
“Once rescued, we work to ensure that each child has a safe place to stay and the tools needed to stay safe and free for the future. Our aftercare program provides for psycho-education and building up practical skills like vocational training to enable [them] to get a job and get out of the poverty cycle.”
Sometimes, they have to start at the beginning. Many of the rescuees - and the surrounding community - do not understand that they are the victims in this story.
“People often mistakenly believe that girls have chosen to work in the sex industry when the reality is that most are driven...into bars and brothels for work due to poverty and a sense of duty to provide for their families,”
Tony comments.
“Destiny Rescue starts with the belief that a girl’s dignity is paramount and that even if she is prepared to do this work, she should never have to feel this is her lot in life and there are no other alternatives. We strive to provide opportunities that provide a safe way for her to earn an income and provide for her family. No woman or girl should be objectified, sold and used as playthings for men. It is our belief that men and women are created equal and [we] strive to bring value, self-esteem, choices and a future to the girls we rescue.”
Emotionally, this amount of support is important to counteract the trauma the children have faced.
“One quote I constantly remember is ‘I can sleep at night now’. This is such a powerful statement and is the embodiment of the impact of rescuing children from sexual slavery.”
In terms of numbers, Destiny Rescue has freed more than five thousand before 2019 ended. This is a significant statistic, but Tony knows the work is nowhere near finished.
“Our goal is to expand our rescue and aftercare efforts into new countries where trafficking thrives. We will continue to enter some of the darkest places on the planet to find those enslaved until we can find them all.”
Tony hopes to be able to eradicate the practice within his lifetime.
Photo of Tony Kirwan (left).
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WORDS: JENNIFER CHANCE
PHOTOGRAPHY: DESTINY'S RESCUE
PHOTOGRAPHY: DESTINY'S RESCUE
