As we begin a new year, we celebrate the rescue of a precious little boy born on New Year’s Day in 2020. Just days after Wit’s* 4th birthday, Life Impact got word that he was being abused and neglected. Our rescue team immediately responded and worked with the police to bring him to our transition home.
Wit’s story is heart-rending. Our team learned that his mother, who had crossed into Thailand from Burma, was arrested by authorities and put in prison in 2019. She gave birth to Wit on January 1, 2020, while in prison, and he lived there with her until she was released eight months later. His mom went to a nearby village where she rented a room, but instead of staying home with him, she left him alone while she used drugs. When she was home, she abused her son by hitting and biting him. She hired her neighbors, an older couple, to take care of him, but they also beat him, tied him up, and stabbed him with a small knife.
When Wit was one, his mother left and never came back. Her landlord hired a different couple to care for him but soon learned they also abused him and were apparently considering selling his organs. The landlord then took him back and eventually shared his story with a man who knew about Life Impact’s work. That man called our rescue team.
We responded immediately and saw for ourselves the scars on his head, back, and legs, along with other evidence of abuse. Working with the police, we took him to our transition home. During a routine medical checkup, doctors found he was malnourished and anemic. A body scan also revealed two left ribs were slightly concave. They believe this was the result of him being beaten and kicked.
Now, Wit is safe at the Promise Land. His physical scars will heal. It will take longer to heal the emotional scars, but we know as he learns about the love of his Rescuer, Jesus, he has a future full of hope. It’s another rescue that we believe will help us bring an end to the cycle of exploitation.
