Mission Freedom
Mission Freedom is an association active in Hamburg , which was founded on January 1st, 2011 by a team led by the Christian activist and book author Gaby Wentland and campaigns against forced prostitution . It is recognized as a non-profit organization and is supported by Aktion Mensch e. V. and the Hamburg donation parliament . The association is a member of Diakonie Hamburg and of the alliance “Together against human trafficking”, which is chaired by Frank Heinrich , member of the Bundestag .
Development and financing
The Mission Freedom team is made up of full-time and voluntary employees from various professional groups, including doctors, psychologists, business administrators, nurses, social workers, street workers and educators. Mission Freedom is financed by private donations and donations in kind as well as a multi-year start-up grant from Aktion Mensch e. V. and other initiatives.
Working method
Mission Freedom's work focuses on educating and sensitizing society, looking after those affected in a shelter, street work and public relations work on a political level.
Education and awareness
The preventive work of Mission Freedom includes information and discussion events for different target groups in Germany, in the women's countries of origin, as well as worldwide education on the topics of human trafficking and prostitution through materials and films that are offered in several languages. The public relations work should draw attention to the legal situation of the victims and sensitize the politicians in order to achieve a change of laws in the long term. Mission Freedom also participates in the Walk for Freedom , a global anti-slavery and human trafficking initiative led by The A21 Campain . The association also provides information about human trafficking at events such as the German Evangelical Church Congress . The organization is in contact with organizations in the countries of origin of those affected in Africa and Eastern Europe that do comparable work and can thus enable prevention and educational work in the countries of origin as well as guarantee sustainable care for women who return to their home countries.
Accompanying those affected
Affected women, some with their children, are taken in and given psychological support in the HOME shelter opened by Mission Freedom. During their time in the shelter, precautions are taken to enable them to live independently in the long term. Mission Freedom's help includes the supply of clothing, hygiene articles and food, support with childcare, German lessons for foreign women and the mediation of medical and therapeutic support. Legal issues are clarified in cooperation with the local social welfare offices and authorities. Accompanying authorities as well as career counseling and further training measures are further offers of the association, which enable the development of new life prospects for those affected.
Long-term support for those affected
The long-term goal of the care of Mission Freedom is to enable the women affected to lead an independent life in order to enable social integration in Germany or in their home country. Mission Freedom supports a return to the home country, if a woman so wishes, by organizing and financing the return trip and guarantees support from a partner aid organization on site.
Award and criticism
On February 20, 2014, Mission Freedom was awarded the Citizens' Prize of German Newspapers by the Federal Association of German Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) - at the suggestion of the newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt . Previously, criticism of the work of the association had been reported. The critics consider the founder Gaby Wentland to be a conservative preacher and missionary . The association advertised with a video in which a young woman tells that she was raped as a child and adolescent by her father, who allegedly worked in the red light district , and that he was forced into prostitution in a brothel he owned. The story was revealed to be untrue by Jörn Blick, head of the “Milieu” department at the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office . Mission Freedom stated that it trusted the statements of those affected, but could not confirm them after research and therefore withdrew the criticized DVD from distribution. Another criticism was expressed by the Hamburg Senate with the statement that the work and the concept of the association due to its missionary orientation "does not meet the professional quality requirements in dealing with human trafficking" and shows "a specific religious orientation in dealing with victims of sexual abuse".
Mission Freedom does not consider the allegations tenable. The Christian faith accompanies and motivates the work, but the religious freedom of the individual is always taken into account. Mission Freedom also resolutely rejected the allegations of treating the residents of their shelter with patronizing rules. “Women of all nationalities and religions are accepted and they can practice their own religion. Most of the women housed in the Mission Freedom Home so far are Muslims. ”Each resident can come and go freely with her own key. Both Heinrich and the chairman of the Hamburg Alliance and the “Together for Hamburg” network, Matthias C. Wolff, also rejected the allegations against the association. The work with sexually exploited women is motivated by Christian charity. Wolff emphasized that women are of course free to maintain their own ideological or religious convictions. There could be no question of “forced missioning”.
The residents undertake, however, to adhere to the common house rules, which, in order to protect the residents, includes, for example, that the address is not passed on and that old SIM cards are not used any longer in order to avoid being tracked by traffickers. The Federal Association of German Newspaper Publishers stuck to the award of its citizens' prize for the chairperson of the association despite the allegations expressed in advance. In the opening speech, the chairman of the BDZV emphasized the important role that Mission Freedom plays in educational work in cooperation with the media. Helmut Heinen (Cologne), President of the Federal Association of German Newspaper Publishers, said at the award ceremony of the prize, which is endowed with 20,000 euros, that hardly a day goes by on which the German press does not mention the restriction of human trafficking, the punishment of suitors or the prohibition of Prostitution is written. The CDU member of the Bundestag Frank Heinrich , who accompanies the work of Mission Freedom as a theologian and social pedagogue, declared that Wentland wanted to help individual people as well as "sensitize the public to this everyday scandal on our doorsteps". In the words of the 56-year-old pastor's wife, the award helps the fight against human trafficking. With a prospect of success, it can only be managed together with politics and the media. The prize money should flow into an awareness campaign to raise public awareness of the issue.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gaby Wentland's online presence , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ^ Diakonie Hamburg , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ↑ mission-freedom.de: Mission Freedom team , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ↑ a b c mission-freedom.de: press release , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ^ Mission Freedom website, About Us ( Memento of May 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed May 10, 2016.
- ↑ a21.de: Walk for Freedom , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ↑ Together against human trafficking , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ^ Mission Freedom: Mission Freedom Home , accessed May 10, 2016.
- ↑ BDZV awards Gaby Wentland's citizen prize to Gaby Wentland on bdzv.de, accessed on November 2, 2016.
- ^ Citizens' award for dubious association. Broadcast by NDR (online).
- ↑ Dubious aid organization - From the line to the Christian sect. In: taz of November 12, 2013.
- ^ Sabrina Andorfer: The dubious methods of Mission Freedom. Spiegel.de, December 27, 2013.
- ↑ Hanna Klimpe: The lies of the woman Wentland. taz.de, December 3, 2013.
- ↑ Mareike Fuchs et al. (ndr online): Citizens' Prize for dubious association , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ↑ a b Evangelical Alliance, 2014: Gaby Wentland receives Citizen Award , accessed on May 10, 2016. & lt;
- ↑ Mülheimer Verband, 2014: Mission Freedom: Association contradicts allegations , accessed on May 10, 2016.
- ↑ a b bdzv.de: BDZV awards Gaby Wentland Citizen Award of German Newspapers , accessed on May 10, 2016.