Draft:Mirjam Bos
Mirjam Bos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 1989 |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Spouse |
Joseph Janssen (m. 2018) |
| Children | 2 |
Mirjam Bos (born May 1989, Netherlands) is a Dutch human rights activist known for her advocacy for religious freedom and support for persecuted individuals worldwide. She has worked extensively in political advocacy, focusing on the protection of religious minorities and combating modern-day slavery, including sex trafficking and child exploitation. Bos is also involved in projects that provide education to children in Pakistan and offers legal support to those imprisoned due to their faith.
Early life and education
[edit]Bos was born in the Netherlands to a Christian family. Her father was a pharmacist, and her mother was a teacher. She has one brother and two sisters. Bos completed her VWO diploma (a qualification for university education in the Netherlands) and subsequently studied law at Leiden University. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Dutch Law and pursued two Master's degrees—one in Children's Rights and another in Public International Law. During her university years, she was actively involved in the student organization Navigators.
Career
[edit]Following her graduation, Bos began working for the Jubilee Campaign, an organization dedicated to advocating for human rights and religious freedom[1] and served as the Program Officer for Jubilee Campaign Netherlands in 2017.[2] In this role, she worked closely with teams in the United States and the Netherlands, focusing on supporting persecuted Christians. Her work involved writing reports, engaging in political lobbying, and organizing demonstrations. Bos also took part in fact-finding missions to countries such as Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, meeting individuals affected by religious persecution.
Bos became increasingly involved in international advocacy, attending and hosting events at the United Nations and the European Union. These platforms allowed her to raise awareness of religious freedom issues, and she participated in political lobbying efforts in several countries, including the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Bos also spent time living in Brussels, where she became more active in lobbying for religious freedom within the European Union.
In October 2024, Bos condemned the wrongful arrest of a Christian father in Pakistan. The man was detained after his 13-year-old daughter, Roshni, returned home following her escape from a husband who had been attempting to sell er into sexual slavery to a family in Saudi Arabia. Bos expressed her outrage over the incident, calling it "beyond terrible," and highlighted the failure of authorities to protect vulnerable children from exploitation.[3][4]
Personal life
[edit]Bos met her husband, Joseph Janssen, a Pakistani human rights advocate, during a 2015 protest at the European Parliament in Brussels. The protest was organized to draw attention to the persecution of Christians in Pakistan. Bos and Janssen married in 2018 and have two children. The couple continues to collaborate on various initiatives to defend religious freedom and protect the rights of oppressed Christian communities globally.
In addition to her activism, Bos has developed an interest in business and investment. She views these fields as tools that can expand her capacity to make a positive social impact and support additional humanitarian efforts.
Projects
[edit]In collaboration with her husband, Joseph Janssen, Bos is involved in various humanitarian initiatives through their non-profit organization Voice for Justice. Together with the Jubilee Campaign, they run projects focused on:
- Rescuing girls and women from sex trafficking and slavery
- Helping individuals escape debt-bonded labor
- Providing legal aid to those imprisoned for their religious beliefs
- Offering educational opportunities to children in Pakistan
References
[edit]- ^ "European Parliamentarians express concern over coerced faith conversion targeting minority women in Pakistan". ThePrint. 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Terrorism in Nigeria". genocidewatch. 7 March 2017.
- ^ "Behind Bars for Pursuing Justice: Pakistan Detain Father for Welcoming Back His 13-year-old Daughter Who Escaped Her Abductor, Forced Marriage and Religious Conversion". Jubilee Campaign USA. 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Shakeel Maish: Father Detained in Pakistan for Pursuing Justice for Abducted 13-Year-Old Roshni Shakeel". eutoday.net. 29 October 2024.