Part 2/14:

The Human Toll: Personal Stories of Escape and Suffering

The human stories behind these numbers are harrowing. One poignant example is James Bowie Tangik, a young man from Myanmar’s Chin State. At just 16, James was smuggled into Malaysia by human traffickers, fleeing ethnic persecution and conflict. His mother, living in Malaysia, paid for this dangerous journey so they could reunite. James recounts the emotional reunion with his mother as a momentous event in his life—one he never expected to experience after fleeing violence against the Chin community, who have suffered decades of forced assimilation and armed conflict.