Freedom Changes Her Story
Freedom Changes Her Story
As a child in Sumba, Indonesia, Rimu loved standing beside her grandmother in the kitchen.
She watched carefully as hands shaped fritters, stirred rice, and prepared traditional snacks. Cooking was more than food – it was memory, identity, belonging.
“When I cook,” Rimu says now, “I feel peaceful. It reminds me of my grandmother.”
For a long time, peace felt very far away.
When Her Story Was Taken From Her
At 28, Rimu left home to support her family through work overseas. A recruiter promised steady employment and a salary that would help her mother and younger siblings.
Instead, she was trafficked across borders.
Her documents were confiscated.
Her wages were withheld.
She was moved between locations without explanation.
She was treated as if her life did not matter.
Cross-border trafficking often hides in plain sight. Recruiters promise opportunity. Visas are misused. Workers are isolated in foreign countries where language barriers and fear make escape almost impossible.
For women, exploitation frequently intersects with gender-based violence, economic vulnerability and power imbalance. It strips away choice.
For months, Rimu endured abuse, hunger and fear.
But her story did not end there.
The Turning Point
When Rimu managed to contact a relative, that call set a chain of events in motion. IJM Indonesia Foundation coordinated with IJM Malaysia and local authorities. Together, they worked with partners to support her rescue.
Rescue was not the end of her journey.
It was the beginning of reclaiming her voice.
Rimu chose to testify against her traffickers. She courageously shared her experience to help improve how survivors are treated in court, advocating for trauma-informed processes and better translation support for women like her.
Her story shifted from being silenced to becoming a leader.
A New Chapter
In July 2024, Rimu returned home to Sumba.
“I came back with nothing,” she said softly. “But I came back free.”
With support from partners, including IJM, she began rebuilding her life. She opened a small food stall near a school, selling the dishes her grandmother once taught her to make.
Cooking became more than income. It became restoration.
“When I cook, I feel peaceful.”
Today, Rimu works with dignity. She saves money. She dreams of opening her own restaurant one day – a place where people feel at home.
Freedom did not erase her past. It gave her the power to shape what comes next.
Freedom Changes More Than One Story
When a woman is free, the impact extends far beyond her.
Her family feels it.
Her community feels it.
Justice systems become stronger.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate women like Rimu – women whose courage reshapes not only their own future, but the systems around them.
Freedom is not only rescue.
It is protection.
It is restoration.
It is leadership.
It is the space to dream again.
Freedom. It Changes Her Story.
And when her story changes, the world shifts with it.
International Women’s Day reminds us that equality is not inevitable. Systems that enable exploitation are built, and they can be dismantled.
Through partnership with local authorities, survivor leaders and communities, IJM works to strengthen justice systems so women are protected, heard and empowered long after rescue.
Because freedom is not just about surviving harm.
It is about becoming who she was always meant to be.