RESTORING FREEDOM TO MOVE | THE NEED FOR SAFE TRANSPORTATION

Cars are often considered an essential resource. They afford us the luxuries of convenience and independence when we use them for commuting to work or school, completing routine chores like getting to the store, fulfilling family needs, enjoying recreational activities, getting somewhere fast during emergencies, and more. 

In Bangkok, the survivors of trafficking that we serve could only dream of such autonomy, freedom, safety, and convenience – until now.

Thanks to a grant from Kingdom Investments this past year, NightLight Bangkok has been able to purchase our own car to enable safe transportation for survivors and staff! The survivors in our shelter have regular transportation needs, just like you and me. They may have medical appointments or court appointments related to their cases, or may need transportation to the airport for travel home, or transportation for recreational outings. 

While the typical person may rely on a car for ease or convenience, a safe, unidentified vehicle brings great reassurance to the clients we serve. Victims of human trafficking often hold rational fears of being found by their traffickers when they have to rely on other people or public transportation. Though it may seem small, standing on a street corner waiting for an Uber, cramming into a crowded public train, or splitting up from a full team into separate taxis can be a triggering and terrifying experience for a survivor. 

Over the last 3 months of owning our own vehicle, we have seen tremendous benefits for our clients: 

• Safety: Our own vehicle offers an added layer of protection from unsafe environments while clients are traveling, keeping them out of the public eye and reducing their vulnerability to traffickers. The larger vehicle size that we were able to purchase allows us to travel together with multiple staff and survivors rather than having to use separate vehicles. This adds a layer of reassurance and security that our clients are surrounded by safe people who are all ensuring their protection.

  
  

• Privacy: It has been surprisingly powerful to have the freedom to speak about private and sensitive case details while in transit, which was not possible before having our own private vehicle. Now, we can talk and pray with clients on the way to their court cases, for example, rather than sitting in awkward silence in a taxi.

  
  

• Control with Compassion: Having our own vehicle means we’re no longer reliant on outside drivers or unpredictable wait times. Now, we can create a calm, safe, and trauma-informed transportation experience—on our schedule and with people our clients know and trust. It’s more than just a ride; it’s care that begins the moment the journey starts.

  
  

We have already been able to use the vehicle in several ways over the last few months. Within the first week of having the vehicle, NightLight staff safely drove a woman and her baby (born in our care) to the airport for repatriation to her home country. That same night, 90 Ethiopian survivors of scam centers in Myanmar were awaiting their flights home after recently being freed. One of them, a pregnant woman, began active labor while at the airport. At 3am, the team used the vehicle to drive her to the hospital that was best suited to care for her and her unborn baby. 

The following week, we were able to use our car for two more airport visits to bring food and water to another 250 Ethiopians awaiting repatriation.

Since then, we have used the vehicle to transport two of our own clients from Tanzania to the airport for their repatriation. We’ve also used the vehicle to pick up a woman in our care who was released from a drug rehab hospital. 

For the average person, a car provides convenience and a way to get to and from the places where we need or want to go. For our employees, and even more-so for our clients at NightLight, a car is so much more: it’s safety, provision, security, and a gift that restores freedom of movement that has been out of their reach for far too long.