INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION® Viswanathan and Girija’s Story
CHENNAI, INDIA – 13-year-old Viswanathan wanted to work for the government when he grew up so that he could create a “robber-free world.” His 15-year-old sister Girija dreamed of becoming a doctor. But these dreams could not become a reality: They had grown up inside a rock quarry for the past eight years. Their parents were slaves. The children often crushed rocks into gravel alongside the enslaved adults – a taste of the future that likely awaited them. But all of this changed one spring day when IJM and local government officials freed their family from forced labor Viswanathan, at school slavery. Viswanathan and Girija’s father never had the opportunity to go to school himself, and their mother was only able to study until fifth grade. These parents were determined to give their children the education they never had themselves. Their father worked hard so he could build a home, equipped with electricity, “for the children to study, for their education.” Viswanathan and Girija work hard in school. They Girija and her mother, outside their home told IJM that they both like science class the best – Viswanathan because “the teacher teaches us well and science talks about the living things.” Girija said she likes science the best because, “I score [good] marks!” “Inside [the quarry], it was not possible for our children to become doctors or police,” said their father with a smile, “but it is possible now.”
