Humans of New York, if you aren’t familiar, is a photography blog started by Brandon Stanton where he interviews strangers on the street and posts a portrait of each person online with a snippet of their life stories.
Some stories are hilarious, some are beautiful, and some are plain heartbreaking.
His most recent series takes place in Pakistan, and several stories in particular have led to a worldwide fundraising effort that may potentially change the face of a labor struggle in the country forever.
Last weekend, Stanton posted a lengthy Facebook message about Syeda Ghulam Fatima, an unbelievably brave woman who has suffered multiple types of abuse in her attempt to save the lives of countless workers who are being forced by wealthy brick kiln owners to work for no pay.
Initially, the workers are tricked into borrowing money from the owners, only to have those loans
expanded into debt that can never be repaid–they then have no alternative but to become bonded slaves.
Fatima leads the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, who fight for these struggling individuals. The odds they face are great–as we know, those with money and power often have free reign. Yet Fatima and her fellow activists continue to battle for the greater good.
I want to conclude the Pakistan series by spotlighting a very special change agent who is working to eradicate one of…
Posted by Humans of New York on Saturday, August 15, 2015
Stanton, inspired by her story, started a fundraiser.
In less than a week, nearly $2.5 million has been raised on Indiegogo, with that number rising every day.
This entire story is an astonishing and powerful moment of humanity.
May the Bonded Labour Liberation Front be victorious in restoring freedom.
Please donate to the cause by clicking here.
To read more stories in the series, visit HONY’s official website.
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