Securing a Voice in This World

By: India Ochs

I was sent to Geneva to testify on behalf of slavery and farm workers before the annual session of the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. It was a three-day session, and while I had no idea when I would be testifying, all I did know is I had five minutes to say everything … and I needed it to make a difference. I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the meeting that first day, but I think that I was so worried about not getting through security on time that I was just happy to step through the door with five minutes to spare. There were around 100 participants that week, from all over the world. I was also thrilled to get to give my testimony at the end of that first day, since I knew after that I could just sit back and relax and interact with no more looming responsibilities.

There were two very surprising results that came out of my testimony that I want to share with you today. The first is something that I found very funny, and something that even helped me four years later when preparing this lecture, and that deals with never taking anything for granted, including translation. In a similar way that ISAAC wanted a copy of this lecture [for simultaneous translation], the organizer at the United Nations had asked for a copy of my testimony, so that she could give it to all of the translators to be able to read and follow along as they translated to those listening on the different language headsets. The only problem was, a copy of my testimony was given to every translator that day, except for the English translator. Now, that would make sense given that I was speaking in English but the irony was, it turned out they needed the translation just as much as the others. After the session that day, many people came up to me to talk about my testimony, but it was only the English-speaking people, especially the few Americans in the room, that came up to ask for a copy of my testimony because they could not fully understand all of my speech and there was no one on the English audio channel translating it for them. So needless to say, that was a lesson learned that you should never take anything for granted, including the fact that your own people will understand everything you say, whether you are using a speech-generated device or your own voice.

The other surprising item that came up, which also related to never taking something for granted, was how the other participants reacted to my testimony. As someone who had only been exposed to the issue of slavery for a few weeks, I had thought that I would be totally new to all the things that were discussed.

What actually happened was the reverse of that initial thought. While I was at the session, I heard stories about the young boys used as camel jockeys in the Middle East, about the child labour in India, and the gangmaster system in the United Kingdom. Some of the stories I had been aware of, others had more detail than I could have imagined but none were actually that surprising to me. And yet, in this room full of international experts dealing with slavery in every possible region of the world, it turned out that virtually none of them knew about the slavery going on with the farm workers in the United States. Instead of me being shocked at the various stories I heard, I had many people come up to me after my testimony expressing how shocked they were that such abuses were going on in the United States. I walked away that first day baffled at the fact that these experts, some who were even from the United States, had never heard such stories, but I also walked away feeling happy that I had come to Geneva, knowing that at the very least, I had laid the foundation for all these different people to be aware of what was going on in North America. That opportunity to testify before the Working Group, and the satisfaction that it gave me to know I had been able to share the stories of the farm workers leads me to one final component of human rights that I wanted to focus upon, and that deals with the right to expression.

Truth be told, without the right to expression none of the other rights we believe in would exist. Before any international treaty was passed by the United Nations, they passed a resolution in 1946 which stated that, “Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and ... the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.” Having access to information and being able to share information is the only way society can fully function and grow, and how we can ensure that our own rights, and the rights of others, are being protected.

There is no question that I would not be where I am today, doing what I do to advocate for others, if it was not for that right to expression. Talking to the farm workers, testifying at the United Nations, writing letters to the editor, or meeting with government officials, all of those things are based on my right to express my views, whatever those views may be. Not to mention, the right to expression is probably the strongest weapon I have against anyone who may try to stop me from expressing my views simply because I cannot speak.

Take a moment and think about the situations some of us in this room face because of our speech disabilities, and then think about situations where someone is trapped in slavery with no way to ask for help. I have heard many times over recent years how those with speech disabilities have a greater likelihood to stay silent in society, and although I do not believe that is true for all with a speech disability, I understand how some might be placed in an unknown situation with no known outlet much like those who are placed in slavery.

Individuals who face human right abuses are the most vulnerable to staying silent, whether those human right abuses are through slavery, being put in jail with no trial, denied the right to vote or discrimination because of a disability.

Too often the biggest reason people get trapped in slavery is being denied the right to expression, or more importantly, not knowing that they have that right to expression. Most US farm workers are immigrants from Latin American countries, coming from environments that are very different and so these workers do not know about the rights they have within the United States. More importantly, because they speak hundreds of different dialects and languages, they not only have difficulty speaking with those who speak English, but they cannot even communicate fully with their fellow workers. It’s easy for an outsider to assume that two people from Spanish-speaking countries would be speaking the same language, but those two people might be coming from totally different indigenous groups and thus have very few words they share in common….It is very difficult to reach the workers and educate them about their rights. And so, when they are threatened and told they have no choice but to stay where they are, many feel that they have to go along with the people controlling them, especially since there is no one around to tell them that what they are being told are lies.

Even if a worker wanted to ask for help, many feel too frightened to say anything, either because they think they do not have the right to speak out or they are scared of being hurt if they do, or they do not know how to communicate in a different language. Everyone has the right to speech, to ask for more information or help, and the right to walk away from where you work, but none of these rights matter if you do not know about them, and when you are placed in a new country where you have no idea where to run to even if you were able to escape, and have no idea who to trust or talk to because no one speaks your language, that is where the fear of the unknown enforces the silence, and that silence allows the abuses to continue. But this is not just about being vulnerable to silence when in slavery – that silence, or inability to express your needs or desires, can impact any situation in life. If people do not ask questions, they will never get the answers they need; if they do not express their feelings, they will not get the responses they are looking for. It does not matter if you want a change in a specific law or if you simply want to change the music someone is playing, if you do not take the time to ask for that change you will not get either one. And when it comes to someone who may be in harm’s way, it is even more vital that we use our right to expression to protect them.

I will admit that one of my biggest frustrations in life always has been seeing too many people who simply did not have the confidence within themselves to realize that they have a right to be heard in life. And so, in going into law my goal was not only to be a voice for those who needed help, but to help them realize their own rights and their ability to speak out on their own behalf – an ability we all

possess but one which can easily be hidden away by society.

…And so, as I come to the conclusion of this talk, I want to come full circle with where I began. Just as I had asked how many of you may have felt discriminated against at some point in your lives, I also would ask you to think about whether any of you have advocated for human rights at some point. I do not need a raise of hands because this is the one time I will make an assumption about people, and that is the fact that I know I am standing before a group of individuals who work on human rights issues every day, even if you may not realize it. The types of rights we fight for may differ, just as the level of advocacy may vary, but whether you are asking your teacher for more reading material, asking your boss for a raise, or calling the police to report a crime, all of those things deal with protecting the basic rights we all possess, and whether we are advocating for ourselves or for others, each time we take a step towards ensuring a right, we are ensuring that right for everyone. It is critical for all of us to understand the rights that we all have in this world, because the more we understand those rights, the more things can become clearer as we look at the lives of others. And by taking the time to look around us, the greater the chance there is of seeing someone in trouble and being able to help them – and that action can impact our lives just as much as those we may be helping. I started this talk with a quote about how it is much easier to be outraged by abuses half a world away than oppression going on half a block away. Well I just want to balance that quote with this thought. There was a scene in the movie “Hotel Rwanda” that enabled me to finally fully understand the importance of my work and the need to spread awareness on the rights we all have – along with the impact each of us has on society. In the movie, there is excitement over the fact that the rest of the world would finally know about what was taking place against innocent people in Rwanda, since CNN was going to show video of the horrendous abuse. The cameraman then turns to the hero in the movie and says that the video will not make a difference since people will see the footage on TV, say how horrendous, and then turn back to finish their dinner. In my own case, while my work had always been focused towards fighting for justice in this world, that line in the movie brought everything together for me. I vowed to never be neutral again about any human rights abuse, whether it was denial of aid in another country or someone simply making a joke about race. To me, it did not matter how much I may care about something because that concern would be useless if I just stayed silent. Now I consciously look for the right and strive to uphold it, wherever found, against the wrong.

And so, we should be outraged by any violation of our rights, whether it is half a world away or right in our own home. We all have the power to look around, both at our own lives and to those we interact with every day within our communities, and we all can take action, in whatever method, be it big or small. And by taking the time to look around, and by taking action when we see that something is wrong or someone needs help, we will not let those rights we all cherish silently slip by. After all, no exercise is better for the human heart than reaching down to lift up another person. Thank you.

The complete text of the WORDS+/ISAAC Outstanding Consumer Lecture in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish is available at Awards  .