Ep. 4 / Jesus, Justice & the Modern Day Slave Trade ► Anu George

What if the everyday products you buy are fueling modern-day slavery? Join us on evangelical 360 as we sit down with Anu George Canjanathoppil, CEO of the International Justice Mission of Canada, to explore a reality many of us overlook: the insidious presence of slavery in today's world. Anu's harrowing personal journey and dedication to justice shed light on the staggering $49 billion Canadians unknowingly spend on slave-produced goods annually. Through powerful storytelling, Anu redefines our understanding of slavery, highlighting the dire conditions faced by those trapped in bonded labor and the urgent need for justice and protection for the most vulnerable.

Discover the pivotal role of partnerships and faith in combating sex and labor trafficking as Anu shares how International Justice Mission collaborates with ministries, organizations, and NGOs worldwide. Learn how faith-based motivations drive their work without imposing beliefs on others and how consumer awareness and legislative changes, like Canada's Modern Slavery Act, are crucial in this fight. This episode challenges listeners to rethink their definitions of community and neighbor, urging collective action against normalized violence and injustice inspired by the example of Jesus. Join us for an eye-opening and empowering conversation that calls for global responsibility and change.

Watch Interview with Anu George on YouTube!

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Transcript

Brian Stiller

Hello and welcome to evangelical 360. My name is Brian Stiller, Global Ambassador for the World Evangelical Alliance and host of this new podcast series. On evangelical 360, I interview leaders, writers and influencers about contemporary issues which are impacting Christian life around the world. My hope is that it will not only be a global meeting place where faith is explored from different perspectives, but that each person listening will come away informed, encouraged, challenged and even inspired. Informed, encouraged, challenged and even inspired.

Today on evangelical 360, my guest is Anu George, CEO of the International Justice Mission of Canada. This past year, I was stunned by Anu’s presentation at the Ottawa Prayer Breakfast. Her extraordinary story literally had me on the edge of my seat. Anu George has emerged as a leading voice and legal presence in the freeing of people from slavery right around the world. Today on evangelical 360, we’re going to look at the issue of slavery. Anu, thank you so much for joining me.

Anu George

Thank you so much for having me.

Brian Stiller

But you know your name, your last name. Yeah, if I tried to say that quickly, I would be a fool. It’s an intriguing, it’s a beautiful name. Where does that come from?

Anu George

Well, I intentionally put that here or rather, I’ve been owning this name for a long time to make it difficult, to make it a bit uncomfortable and also to get questions asked as to Canjanathoppil does mean? And what does it mean? It means fields of gold, nothing spectacular, really considering, nobody I know in my family has fields of gold.

Brian Stiller

Fields of gold, I think is spectacular.

Anu George

It is, but I think it is the story behind the name which got me to add that to my name when I turned 18. This was given to my great-grandfather, Joseph Canjanam, by a Lutheran missionary. His journey to becoming Joseph Canjanam was what forced me to rethink why I shouldn’t own the journey that they had to becoming a Christian to the name that I own right now.

Brian Stiller

Let me go back to that moment in Ottawa, the annual prayer breakfast, and you were the guest speaker. I had heard of you but I’d never heard you, and as I listened to you, at first I thought where in the world is she going on this? And then you surprised us that you were the one that had been attacked. Can you take us back to that moment?

Anu George

So I think what I was trying to draw the audience to was my life or my story, which is not unique. Truly, that violence is the reality. Everyday violence is the reality of over 5 billion people around the world, and 5 billion people are those who fall outside the protection of law. So what I was trying to do that day at the National Pride Breakfast was to probably burst the bubble of unfamiliarity that we might have gotten used to. Living in a developed country like Canada, the reality of everyday violence does not spare those who are the poorest of the poor, the least, the last, the lost. You could be given water. You know wells could be dug in different poorest of the poor, the least, the last, the lost. You could be given water. You know wells could be dug in different parts of the world. But if you’re attacked on the way to getting that source of water, then the real problem is not access. The real problem is not benefits reaching those who need it, those who are experiencing poverty. The real problem was impunity that the ones with power could get away by inflicting violence and taking that off.

Gary Haugen, the founder of International Justice Mission, talks about this beautifully in his book called the Locust Effect. And it is exactly that the farmer could have his beautiful farm. The locust could come and sweep it all away in a matter of minutes. What I experienced was the locust effect. Come and sweep it all away in a matter of minutes. What I experienced was the locust effect. What most of the world is experiencing right now is the locust effect. Those who have the power, who have the impunity, the fearlessness that they can get away by committing a crime is taking over the world, you have had a reputation of dealing with the issue of slavery.

Brian Stiller

Slavery as an idea seems so antiquated, such a thing of the past. What is there about slavery today that we don’t understand, and what are you finding in the International Justice Mission ways of combating it?

Anu George

So slavery, like you rightly pointed out, has always been misunderstood as an ancient concept. Something that doesn’t exist anymore is not a problem. You’d be surprised that in the history of mankind, now is when slavery is at its peak. Never has there been more slaves in the history of mankind than right now, because this modern day slavery has been completely fueled by the demand and supply of the world’s needs.

Brian Stiller

I think I need a definition of slavery then.

Anu George

So slavery in its rawest form is if you do not have the freedom to work where you want to, to get paid minimum wages, to have the right to sell what you create at market rate and inability to move restricted freedom of movement, people are given an advance. So a master, a person who has the influence and the power and the money, finds rather targets on this individual who is desperate for something. So it could be, you know, some money to treat his wife, for medical expenses or his daughter’s marriage. And then he approaches the wealthy man in the neighborhood and says would you be able to loan me some money? So he would say, absolutely, but you just need to repay by working for me. He would say, absolutely, but you just need to repay by working for me. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s getting into something called bonded labor on the basis of an advance which is illegal in the first place.

You get into this place and then you’re never able to leave. You’re restricted from getting out of the master’s facility, the workplace. So you work there and you keep thinking because you do not know how much money you owe. The debt that you owe this master just increases day by day and you cannot get out of that place Any need if you’re eating food, even that the master adds to the tab. So, before you know it, your children, your children’s children, your children’s children’s children are trapped into this debt bondage. That is one style. The other approach is when traffickers go into these villages and say well, I promise you a better life, you will get jobs in these wonderful factories, wonderful brick kilns. So they get into this train and they go to a different state altogether, do not even know the language, and they go straight to this factory where they have to work for the rest of their life.

Brian Stiller

And is this slavery or this form of slavery particular to some countries, or is it worldwide?

Anu George

It’s worldwide, anywhere in the world, and there are different ways that people are trafficked and tricked into the space.

Describe again the nature of International Justice Mission. It was led by this incredible visionary called Gary Haugen. He was with the UN investigating the Rwandan genocide and he was struck by what he saw A Harvard-educated lawyer, brilliant man, who understands the in and out of law. And he went to Rwanda to investigate and he was like this is wrong, there needs to be a way to address this, a Christian response to addressing this problem. And then he came back, quit his job and went to his basement and started International Justice Mission. Quit his job and went to his basement and started International Justice Mission.

And the idea was we would work with public justice systems around the world, because the onus of solving this problem should not rest with nonprofits, because what that does is it creates dependencies on organizations which go into these countries imagining that we can solve the problem. No, we cannot. We can only rely on the local knowledge and the local justice system, because IJM does not exist to perpetually exist. We go in partner with the government, see what is possible. Together, you know, create a working response system to whatever crisis, whatever challenge it is that we are addressing, and then we walk away.

Brian Stiller

Anu, in your work with International Justice Mission in the many countries you work in, do you collaborate with ministries and organizations and NGOs in pursuit of your gold?

Anu George

Absolutely. I’m glad you asked. The fundamental approach to how we are able to scale the impact of our work is through partnerships. We could not, absolutely could not do this work without partnerships Because, like I mentioned before, the collaboration exists very richly with the perpetrators and it would be a shame if we do not do that with this community. We are one body of Christ. We tend to have this scarcity mentality right. Oh what if we lose the donor base to that organization if we show up? It is not how God wants us to show up. So I say, hey, let’s do this together.

Brian Stiller

Is there an example you might give?

Anu George

Again, Philippines is a great example. We work with Compassion there and they rescue and protect children in Jesus’s name. So we partner with Compassion in Philippines. We partner with so many organizations around the world. That by itself is beautiful and powerful and a reminder that we should never think of doing this on our own.

Brian Stiller

And what are the biggest challenges you face when you go into country X?

Anu George

One, a lack of awareness that this problem exists and, like you called out earlier, you know there is a shame and embarrassment around oh, this cannot be my country. This is not how you know, we want our country to be seen. But that quickly shifts to this is my country and these are my people and I have the ability and the power to solve this. So, and that’s what we do, walk alongside and, you know, partner with them and say okay, so this is where the problem exists. You know there is sex trafficking, there is labor trafficking, there is commercial exploitation of children, there is online sexual exploitation of children and countries. You know, developed countries are responsible for perpetuating the crime. So we educate, walk alongside. It is not to shame, but it is to basically wake up the collective conscience in each of these countries and say this is unacceptable. We need to show up and we need to respond to this and we need to have answers.

Brian Stiller

I want to come back to how you got involved in all of this, sure, but let’s go to the central issue of justice. For us as Christians, what’s justice?

Anu George

It is Jesus’, way, everything that he has called us to do, everything that he had to fight against in his time. And the distraction, I think is basically, if we say that we want to focus on everything else, that is, if benevolent justice becomes secondary, then I’ll be like that’s not Christian. The core of Christianity is justice.

Brian Stiller

OK, so you’re in a world where there is another majority religion other than Christianity and you are trying to. You’re promoting justice. What for them is justice?

Anu George

So the God of justice, the God that I believe in, is a God of compassion, is a God that invites us to the space of well. There are consequences to your choices and I’m going to invite you to see and remember the ultimate sacrifice that I have given, that I have made my son having shed his blood on the cross. The ultimate consequences to your choices would be met in how you would overcome that through repentance and continue to seek me. Like we are imperfect, we are sinners, but God invites us to that. So it’s not a punishing God, it is a compassionate God that I see. But the world religions do talk about doing good, but they don’t necessarily give a model to how I think Christianity gives us that. The scriptures, the word, is full of that.

Brian Stiller

And so in your social, political, legal jousting to try and get communities to see the issues of slavery, if you say Jesus is justice, can you help me understand a bit more of how that works out practically in your work, practically?

Anu George

it may not be wise to impose our theory of change, you know, especially when you know that is defined by our faith in spaces where it is not welcome, because that could come in the way of ensuring freedom and liberation. So there it is, jesus’s way for us as an organization and how we show up, and the work is completely defined by how we can show up, but not forcing people into believing what we believe in, because that would come in the way of seeking justice, and faith is beautiful. That way it will be revealed. I don’t have to use words. Oftentimes when I travel, you know.

Once, when I was taking this public transportation, he’s like, madam, this guy you know who’s riding me, say, madam, why are you so giving you know, why are you so selfless? I mean, I just don’t understand. Like, whenever I see you, you’re up to doing something, something this is my reliable auto rickshaw driver. And then I was like I said, probably because of my faith, and he’s like oh, you’re a Christian. That explains. I was like what do you mean? That explains? Oh, you, you, you, christians. You’re setting up schools, you’re setting up hospitals. You’re not thinking of making money, you’re just thinking of, you know, serving people with no expectation. That explains so that to me, was actually a testament to how we have historically shown up in different parts of the world without expecting anything in return, in fact receiving nothing short of persecution, and that is also my backstory, right.

Brian Stiller

That leads us back into your own life. Did you have a heart for this, like from your parents, from your church, from your? Where did it come from?

Anu George

I think it is these stories that my father used to tell me in my age of transductor reasoning. He, like even when I was three, he would tell me stories about I was always the hero in the story, you know, saying so, detective Anu, dr Anu or whatever Lawyer Anu. And then he would, in those stories, give me a difficult turning point, saying so, what would Lawyer Anu do? What would Detective Anu do In his stories? I would always have a response where it was something close to rising like a phoenix with the power and faith that I had, with the power of God.

Brian Stiller

So it was violence because you were involved in this or for some other reasons.

Anu George

It was a personal experience which makes me uncomfortable to think about even now, and I was running away from that experience. And when I ran away I was working in the film industry as a temporary to pay my bills in the morning. And then I worked with a nonprofit organization to help educate children using street theater. That was something I’ve always been passionate about and that got me in trouble because these children were engaged by the local mafia which would use these children to, you know, sell in the roadside stands where they sell food, and these children would also be used as couriers. And I was getting these kids get excited about street theater and then slowly I’d be like do you want to go to school? So the local police came to me and said you can’t be doing this. I was like where is the law? I’m a lawyer, you know, arrogant. At that point you tell me, you give it to me in writing that I can’t do this, that I can’t do social work in a community park. Then I will go. He couldn’t give it to me in writing. He was acting on the command of the other powerful people with a ton of impunity to back.

And then these guys came, eight men. They didn’t rape me, but they beat me enough to crush my spirit, and my employers at that time helped me to go back home on a wheelchair and from there it was. You know, I was paralyzed for an entire year. It was hard, it was humbling, and that is when I and that’s when I asked God for a chance, because I wasn’t rising like a phoenix, because till then I thought having a great career which would pay me a ton of money would be great, because then I can direct that income to doing all the things that I believed in, which was street theater, helping women who are subject to domestic violence. All of those things I was doing because it gave me life more than really understanding what it is that I needed to get to the root of. But I decided then that I was going to leave the corporate side of life and get my hands dirty, get into the trenches full on that. God was not going to be plan B. Seeking justice was not going to be one of the many things.

Brian Stiller

And what did you think you could accomplish?

Anu George

I had no idea. I knew that what I was doing was not enough. I knew the approach that I was taking was not enough. But you know I don’t know if you’ve experienced this you know that there is something that you can do, but you do not know how. And that’s when you completely surrender to God. That was my moment. I was like I want to walk, I want to talk, and I’d lost command over. You know several things swimming, playing the violin. You know language, my mother tongue. Even I had to relearn. I can’t write my mother tongue anymore. I had to relearn English. But somewhere deep down, I felt like if God was going to help me get back on my feet, he’s going to figure the rest out for me.

Brian Stiller

So you come to this point where you say God, give me another chance. What door opens for you? How does that emerge into who you are and what you’re doing today?

Anu George

Yeah, a fascinating, unexpected door opened for me the organization that I was working for, the boss, had been following my journey from the time I ran away from that city to another city, you know, to seek safety and then got in trouble, you know, with the local mafia. So he had taken the project that I had created, you know, using street theater to educate children, and submitted that to a fellowship in Canada called Jean Sauvé Fellowship. He didn’t tell me about it, he had nominated me. So I just started walking I’m doing theater, therapy and all of those things, and I’m getting this call. It’s like hi, this is Anu, this is Nancy. I’m calling from Jean Sauvé Foundation.

Anu George

You know your project has been approved and we would like to interview you for the Jean Sauvé Fellowship. I was like what project? What are you talking about? Like it’s like, yeah, the you know workshop that you did with using street theater. It’s a fascinating approach that you’ve taken and we’re very impressed. So that was the first door that opened. And that’s when I came to Canada thinking goodness, this country can change the world.

Brian Stiller

You mentioned the amount of money that is transmitted annually by enslaved people. What is that aggregate amount?

Anu George

The amount that Canadians have spent have basically benefited by. You know, slave produced goods is $49 billion. Like, the supply chain is a complex space so nobody is able to really track like the clothes that we wear, the thread. We have actually led a rescue in South Asia an entire spinning mill factory. Nobody is going to go and ask where did you get your raw material from? Where do you get those balls of cotton from? Almost 99.9% of these are children because it’s hard to pluck it from those balls. There is a test online If you basically feed in the choices that you make, the perfume you use, the makeup that you use, the clothes that you wear, where your socks is from. You put all that and they will tell you how many thousand slaves are working for you. Even an extremely conscious person like I once when I checked it was closer to 8,000 slaves, but anybody else would be around the average of 20 to 30,000 slaves working for you at any given point.

Brian Stiller

So what do I, as a consumer concerned about the issue of justice? How do I respond?

Anu George

Canada just last year passed this incredible law called Modern Slavery Act, which forces corporations to report on the supply chain. You know, depending on the site, there are all sorts of nuances into that. You know, depending on the site, there are all sorts of nuances into that. But before we got to that, we got Canadians to ask every single. The local politicians write to them, ask them why, why do I have to wear clothes tainted by slavery? So and there was an Ipsos survey which said 90 percent 89 percent of Canadians deeply care about where their goods come from and they’re willing to pay a little extra if it means that they could have slave-free goods.

Anu George

A lot of this is not in our control. It is governments that need to take the lead on how they are bringing in these businesses. What is the record and what is the reporting on this? So asking questions would be a great place to start, and then supporting organizations who are in the trenches in the weeds, like International Justice Mission. I mean, I might appear to be biased, but we are the world’s largest anti-human trafficking organization. We know how to get there, we know how to not partner with governments and have a sustainable solution. We have protected 11 million people from violence. Thus far, we are on the way to protecting half a billion people from violence, and this is the time that we need to band, and I would implore Christians to say let’s band together Because you know what is happening. The traffickers are banding together. They are so interconnected they know exactly when and who is coming to get them, but we are not.

Brian Stiller

And I think as a body of Christ, we should. The intuitive question is given where I am, who I am, what I know, where I live, are there a number of things that I can do on the issue of justice that would allow me, where I am, to somehow be involved Absolutely? And because the response would be very generic.

Anu George

I’m going to take this to you. So I, when people ask me this, I’d be like so take a look at your hands. I’m going to ask you to do that too. Take a look at your hands, look at it really well. Think of the many things that God has given you. So for you, ryan, it would be the platform that you have your gift of penmanship. And then think of the people that you have the ability to influence. What are the things that your hand has been able to lead change into? And these answers would change for every single individual. For me, it was my education in law. For me, it was me the ability to bring those stories from the trenches to the world. Each one of us have been given so beautifully gifted by God, and those skills would guide you to what it is that you can do to respond to the problem. Sometimes it’s money. It is giving the resources to organizations. That knows how to respond to this problem. Sometimes it is just being the voice, being that obnoxious, knocking on the door person, like going to that parliamentarian and saying what are we doing about this? You know, again, this year, again, it’s $49 billion. Next year it is projected to be $58 billion. So what are we doing about it?

Sometimes we think this is happening in Philippines, it’s not going to impact my people, it’s not going to impact my children, absolutely not. If our country, whichever part of the world, are consumers of this crime, then they have, you know, reached that point of impunity that they’ll come for our children. Sometimes people use well, I need to take care of what is happening in my community. You know we need to take care of what is happening in our neighborhood. We should love our neighbor. You have decided who your neighbor is because you chose the place where you’d go and live.

So you have taken the complete control over your neighborhood. And that is a bad excuse not to show up. And that because God has not defined your neighborhood. God, he has not said it’s 100 kilometers radius. It is the sunlight that we share, the moonlight that we stand under. It is all of this. Your neighbor could be at the North Pole for all I care, but acknowledging that and inviting ourselves to that and challenging ourselves to say it is my problem, injustice happening in Uganda is my problem because he is my neighbor, I have no questions about that.

Brian Stiller

How does Jesus inform you? What is there about your following of Christ is making a difference in your life, and how does that inform you in your larger world?

Anu George

In every single way. You know, what is amazing about Jesus is that he was a radical, like he did not care about the norms, and I think I get my fearlessness from following him. I’m very comfortable to be the odd one out. In fact, I think I’ve been called to be that odd one out. I’m very comfortable to stand against what we have normalized as the population that violence is okay. It’s not okay, and my hope and prayer is that the world does not push me to conform because he was not a conformist. He created that path wherever he went, and I seek courage from that leadership.

Brian Stiller

Anu, thank you so much for being with us today and thank you for being with us for this episode of evangelical 360. Most of us live in worlds where the reality of slavery is quite impossible to imagine. Anu has opened a window into the global reality of slavery, inviting us to make a difference.

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