Meet Yang, she is 15 (in pink) and her sister Yeng, she is 14 . As you can see they are priceless and beautiful young girls. They arrived at the girls home in Chiang Kham early today from a Hmong, tribal village. Fighting back the anger and tears we learned that it is common, in their village, to be kid-napped and taken to become the wife of a much older man. Now, he may already have many wives. When Yang’s 15th birthday arrived she became very frighten that this might happen to her. She shared that two weeks ago an older man saw the sisters dancing in a traditional Thai dance. Then he asked her father if he could take Yang to marry her but she began to cry and say no, no, no!! The customs allow young girls around the age of 15 to be taken away by these men for 7 – 10 days then return with them to the family. When they are brought back they are given only 2 choices: they can agree to marry him. So, he pays the father a dowry or if, she says "no" he pays a fine. Either way, she is now "damaged", "abused" sexually and no longer a virgin…,because he had his way with her. We call this statutory rape, period. In the Hmong culture, women are considered a little more in value than a piece of property. They are given very little opportunity to make decisions on her own. Since, they are female they have no human rights. Now you understand how frighten Yang would be for herself and her sister who was seen dancing and then desired by this self-centered, arrogant, lustful man to become his child bride. She was afraid that since she refused he would come back and take her without anyone knowing and she would never see her family again. And she knew that if she left her sister she would be in danger of the same horrible atrocities.
The House parents heard of them and knew they had to visit and rescue them. Understanding their story, because of hearing the same story so many times before, they offer them help and hope from this most frightening of situations. I just cannot image turning 15 and worried that, at any moment a stranger could come and steal me away from the only home and family I have ever known and do with me as he wished. When Lacy and I spoke with Yang and Yeng, they were rejoicing not only to be safe but now have the opportunity to have a complete education and learn of Jesus. A FUTURE WITH HOPE!!
What was most unnerving to us was, that as we talked with them and the house parents, this kind of thing is common place and accepted part of culture. As Americans this is absolutely unbelievable. We would not stand for this! There would be a war and hell to pay! But for the parents, the two girls, out of 9 children, there is two less mouths to feed and the possibility of a good dowry, is high. This kind of thing is poverty driven on the one side and sex/profit driven on the other. She would go and be forced labor for her husband maybe be abandon with kids and forced into a lifestyle within the sex trade industry to try and provide and make a way for herself and the kids. Or maybe return home and live a life of deep poverty. Yang did not want this future. She found a safe place and a place of compassionate hope.
Later today, we also visited a village just like the one described above. With this inside, hidden knowledge it was extremely difficult to leave behind dozens of young ladies that face a similar future. All of us just wanted to forsake everything, stay to live among the 800 person populated, below poverty stricken, village and care for the estimated 650 children living there.
The children in these villages have no toys, no bikes, no tricycles, no balls to bounce, no footballs or baseballs to throw, no soccer balls to kick. They receive little or no health care, a very limited education, and most of their parents, if have have work, are out away and will stay away for days and weeks at a time.
