Laura gets on her bike for 40m people in modern slavery

Laura McCallan from Belfast was shocked when she first heard about the 40 million people still living in modern slavery from her sister who works for International Justice Mission (IJM), the largest international anti-slavery organisation.
By Helen McGurk
Published 30th Nov 2020, 12:13 BST
Updated 30th Nov 2020, 12:30 BST
Laura McCallanLaura McCallan
Laura McCallan

Ahead of International Day for Abolition of Slavery on Wednesday, Laura, 33, decided to cycle 450km without any rest days in her own home to raise money and awareness of this issue.

Laura said: “I first heard about IJM because my beautiful sister works for the organisation as a graphic designer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Since the moment she told me about IJM I fell in love with the work they do.

“But the story that stood out to me was that of Thaiyamma who was forced into slave labour because of a $15 loan she took out to help her sick daughter. “Thaiyamma found out she was pregnant with a baby boy and, after years of being in slavery, when IJM field rescue workers came to investigate her oppressor, she stood up and spoke out the truth of the abuse she and others had experienced.

“Because of Thaiyamma’s bravery, her baby boy was born in freedom and…well…I just cry every time I think of this story because it shows such hope for others in her situation.”

David Westlake, ceo of IJM UK, said it could not conduct its “freedom and restoration” work, without fundraising “champions” like Laura.

Laura’s fundraising page is at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ijmlauracycle

Related topics:Belfast

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.