Liberty in North Korea - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Liberty in North Korea is a grassroots organization

Grassroots

A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...

in North America working full-time on the North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

n human rights

Human rights in North Korea

The human rights record of North Korea is extremely hard to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do...

issue. LiNK is headquartered in Torrance, California

Torrance, California

Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...

, USA with affiliates and chapters all over the world.

Mission

LiNK's mission is "redefining the North Korea crisis through creative storytelling, while providing emergency relief to North Korean refugee

Refugee

A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...

s and pursuing an end to the human rights crisis."

History

In 2004, two passionate individuals learned about the human rights and humanitarian crisis in North Korea and felt a burden to share with the rest of the world what had gone unnoticed for too long. Educating a group of college students and young leaders about the crisis, together they formed LiNK with the hope of spreading awareness and effecting real change. The organization quickly grew and became a movement of activists empowered by the stories of refugees and motivated by the urgency of the issue. LiNK's work focuses on awareness through mobilizing the grassroots and telling these stories of hope and survival. LiNK meets with governments, NGOs and institutions to advocate for the North Korean people, while working directly with refugees through a network of shelters in China and Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

- protecting, educating and assisting them to eventually find freedom and empower them to live new lives.

The Underground

For 12 years, hundreds of thousands have fled North Korea seeking basic necessities such as food and medicine or even freedom. It is estimated that up to 300,000 are hiding in the underground today. Similar to the Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...

of 19th century America that saved over 30,000 slaves, the modern day underground railroad comprises a network of safe house

Safe house

In the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...

s and escape routes from North Korea to China, Mongolia, Russia and Southeast Asia. Refugees must traverse over mountains, deserts and other unfriendly terrains and families are frequently separated during the journey in the underground.

Often left behind or lost along the way are North Korean children whose parents cannot return home or have separated or abandoned them. These children end up illegally in China, homeless and without any documentation, left to find a way to survive or to escape to another country where they could be eligible for resettlement or asylum

Right of asylum

Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...

. Without protection or any rights, they are of the most vulnerable and are at high risk of exploitation or abuse.

Of the North Korean refugees who are hiding or have come through China, the majority are women and over 80 percent are trafficked

Human trafficking

Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...

or voluntarily marry Chinese men. Some of these women, however, leave their families for fear of being caught and sent back to North Korea or to escape abuse. Once the North Korean mothers leave, the Chinese fathers often find themselves struggling or unable to provide for their children, leaving these "stateless" children to be cared for by relatives or abandoned. Stateless children lack documentation

Undocumented

Undocumented may refer to:*Undocumented feature*Undocumented immigrant*Undocumented flying object*Undocumented *Undocumented...

that prove their citizenship and allow them to receive education, work legally or have basic rights, leaving them at high risk of exploitation or abuse.

Shelters in China

Working with partners on the ground, LiNK supports dozens of children with food, shelter, access to education, transportation to school, scholarships and necessary paperwork. LiNK also protects and shelters some of these children who have been abandoned, abused or are at risk of being sold or exploited.

Shelter in Southeast Asia

LiNK operates the only major shelter in Southeast Asia for United States-bound North Korean refugees. This shelter - which also assists North Koreans seeking to resettle in South Korea - provides protection, shelter, food, education, counseling and medical care before refugees are transferred to the care of free nations that will resettle them.

Refugees are placed under the care of LiNK staff (or Protection Officers) who live with the refugees and walk them through every step – from accompanying them to required medical exams to ensuring their interviews are on track. Protection Officers also prepare refugees for resettlement by beginning the acculturation

Acculturation

Acculturation explains the process of cultural and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, customs, and...

process in the shelter. A United States-bound refugee, for example, is taught English and American history, lives in an environment that incorporates aspects of American and Korean culture, and learns different skills to widen their career options once they have resettled.

Refugee Rescue

Economic instability and continuous food insecurity perpetuated by government mismanagement of food aid has left 33% of the population undernourished and hungry; freedoms of speech

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...

, press

Freedom of the press

Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...

, assembly

Freedom of assembly

Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...

, association

Freedom of association

Freedom of association is the individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests....

, physical movement

Freedom of movement

Freedom of movement, mobility rights or the right to travel is a human right concept that the constitutions of numerous states respect...

and religion

Freedom of religion

Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...

are prohibited; and over 200,000 prisoners are overworked, tortured

Prisoner abuse

Prisoner abuse is the mistreatment of persons while they are under arrest or incarcerated.Abuse falling into this category includes:* Physical abuse: Needless beating, hitting, or other corporal punishment....

, raped or executed in five political

Political prisoner

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....

prison camp

Prison camp

Prison camp may be:* Concentration or internment camp* Federal prison camp, low-security facility among those on list of U.S. federal prisons* Labor camp* Death or extermination camp* Prisoner-of-war camp...

s. In search for food, work and freedom, up to 300,000 North Koreans have fled to neighboring China through a network of shelters and escape routes, similar to the Underground Railroad of 19th century America. In China, over 80% become trafficked and children become orphaned or "stateless" with no paperwork or protection. As refugees must remain in hiding from Chinese authorities who will send them back, North Koreans flee again to Southeast Asia where they seek asylum or resettlement to safe countries such as South Korea or the United States.

"TheHundred" Campaign

In 2010, LiNK launched "TheHundred" campaign to rescue 100 more North Korean refugees hiding in China to LiNK's shelter

Refugee shelter

Refugee shelters include the most basic kind of structure created in the aftermath of a conflict or natural disaster as a temporary residence for victims who have lost or abandoned their homes. There is a continuum ranging from the most temporary tent accommodation through transitional shelter to...

in Southeast Asia, where they are protected and provided for until they are transferred to the care of free nations that will resettle them.

Field Policy

LiNK's field operations are run by LiNK staff and partners, and funded by individuals, foundations, and private organizations. LiNK does not accept any form of payment from refugees in exchange for protection or assistance.

Refugee Resettlement

The number of North Korean refugees arriving in third countries for resettlement has steadily increased. In the United States, approximately 100 have been resettled since the passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act in 2004 to early 2010. In South Korea, approximately 17,000 have been resettled from 1994 to 2010. In Europe, approximately 2,902 have been resettled from 1994 to 2008, and an additional 151 are estimated to be in other nations.

Newly resettled North Koreans often find themselves overwhelmed by the abundance of choices and challenges in their new lives. They must relearn many concepts taught in North Korea while discovering how to form opinions, make decisions, become financially independent, learn a new language and continue working through trauma

Psychological trauma

Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...

incurred in North Korea and during their escape. Navigating these obstacles in a drastically different culture often inhibits their ability to understand and enjoy freedom.

"Liberty House" Resettlement Program

Since 2004, LiNK has assisted in rescuing and resettling over 40 refugees, working with various governments for processing and helping refugees reach safe nations such as the United States and South Korea.

Through a network of volunteers, partners and community resources, LiNK's "Liberty House" program provides case management

Case management

Case management is a managed care technique within the health care coverage system of the United States.- Case management in health care :The Case Management Society of America, a non-profit association dedicated to the support and development of the profession of case management through...

services, micro-grants

Microgrant

A microgrant is a small sum of money distributed to an individual living on less than $1/day, extreme poverty, for the purpose of creating a sustainable livelihood or microenterprise...

, scholarships, translation, tutoring, mentorship, and rehabilitation and career counseling. LiNK also develops North Koreans with leadership skills through its fellowship and internship programs, which train in advocacy and awareness-building and provide opportunities for defectors to assist fellow North Koreans.

Awareness

Through LiNK's grassroots "Movement" program, the organization raises knowledge of the North Korea crisis using national awareness tours that present films, stories of refugees and creative media to educate communities of the crisis. LiNK also provides opportunities for local communities to get involved through its Chapter program that allows students, young professionals and religious institutions to continue building awareness, advocacy and funds for LiNK's programs and rescue operations. LiNK also uses social networking platforms to build a support base.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.