Currently, in modern-day Pakistan, Christians are being illegally enslaved.

Because Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country, Christians make up less than 2 percent of the population. Many Christians in this country are not only the minority of the population, but they are also steeped in dangerous levels of poverty and work the dirtiest, most labor intensive jobs: brick layers, sewer cleaners, and more.

Though bonded slavery is illegal in Pakistan, the government chooses to openly ignore this practice and instead accept it as societally normative.

Because the government chooses to shirk its duty and God-given responsibility to uphold the law, loan-shark slavers prey on those working in impoverished conditions.

Brick kiln owners will target the desperate and extend financial loans to help put food on the table or cover necessary medical expenses.

Without any other option, Christians who are unaware of the trap, will accept the loan and agree to work as brick layers in the kilns to pay off the debt.

However, in order to maintain the slave labor, the kiln owners will hike up the interest rates (between 200-2000 percent interest rates) that completely overtake the daily wages of the families and keep them enslaved to the brick kilns for decades upon decades of hard, slave labor.

Global Christian Relief notes,

“Today, there are 20,000 brick kilns across Pakistan. An estimated 3.5-4 million people working in the kilns as bonded slaves—many of them are Christians.”

Standing in the Word Ministries, run by Pastor Richard and Cathy Giovannetti, has recognized this grave problem.

Not only is Standing in the Word actively helping Pakistan through providing clean water and Bibles for multiple communities, but they are also seeking to buy enslaved Christians out of slavery – completely covering their debt and providing them financial freedom from the brick kiln owners.

“We’ve been setting families free…,” Pastor Richard said in a recent interview.

“We’ve been getting families out of slavery. We’re up to 41 families… These are families that are working in the brick kiln camp. They’re making bricks and they’re under bondage there and everybody’s got to live there – the parents live there, the grandparents, kids, and they can never get out of that bondage rush…

We’re working with some people to pay off their debts.”

More than that, Standing in the Word Ministries is working to improve the working and living situations of the impoverished Christians to ensure that they are never enslaved again.

“We’re working with a Christian organization, JCTV and Jam TV over there, and they’re going to work with them to get them in the places where they can get an education on what to do…

Where you can actually earn a living because you’re not under the bondage of debt. So, you get the family, the whole family is being liberated.”

The work that Pastor Giovannetti and Standing in the Word Ministries is doing in the country of Pakistan cannot continue without your support, prayers, and generosity.

UPDATE: As of today, they have been able to free 51 families!

Click here to help support the freedom of Christians in Pakistan.