Together, we can dramatically reduce violence in communities around the world providing protection from violence for hundreds of millions, including children, so they are never harmed in the first place. As people are protected from violence, it leads to human flourishing.
If we donāt show upāno one else is going to show up for the oppressed
Violence is relentless and bruta l for individuals and families living in global poverty. The impact on lives is dire and oppressive. It also undermines strategies and investments intended to lift people out of poverty.
Without a well-functioning justice system that enforces the law and supports survivors, criminals have no fear and victims have no hope.
45 familiesānearly an entire communityāwere evicted from their land by the government and forcibly relocated to a fishing village. Local businessmen preyed on the desperation of these families, luring them into a deceptive labor agreement to provide fish. Quickly, the business owners had complete control over all their livesāwomen, men and children. The families were not allowed to keep any of the fish and their children languished from a diet of spoiled rice. If family members complained or did not catch enough fish, the owners would beat them with sticks, even to the point of death. The families lived in terror for decades and had nowhere to turn for help. The businessmen were of a higher caste, and power was on their side.
IN
AJ* preyed upon impoverished families, offering to send their children to school and provide them with a better future. AJ sent the children to a private school and posted photos online of seemingly happy vacations, but the children were suffering unspeakable abuse behind this veil of lies. AJ used a webcam to broadcast the sexual abuse of these children around the world for customers who paid to watch and direct the abuse online.
A recent study found 500,000 children in the Philippines were sexually abused online in a single year (IJM Scale of Harm, 2023). Investments in child development are undermined when children experience the trauma of sexual abuse.
A UNITED NATIONS STUDY OF THE WORLDāS POOREST COMMUNITIES FOUND THE NUMBER ONE FEAR AMONG RESIDENTS IS NOT HUNGER OR DISEASE āIT IS VIOLENCE.
an 11-year-old girl named Lily* dreamed of becoming a dressmaker. With the best intentions for Lily, her grandmother accepted an offer for Lily to work and live with a fishermanās family with a promise that he would pay her school fees and even buy her a sewing machine. Her dreams were shattered once she arrived. Lily was treated by the fishermanās family as their propertyānever allowed to go school, forced to work long hours with no pay and sexually abused by the fisherman and his sons.
An investment in the establishment of a school will never reach the most vulnerable children if abusers have unchecked power over their lives.
AJ HAS BEEN CONVICTED AND GIVEN A LIFE SENTENCE
What is the impact? This landmark sentence sets a powerful precedent that now deters others who might be tempted to commit these crimes. With IJM strengthening the local justice system, impunity is ending. In the words of one of the survivors in AJās case: āI am no longer afraid because the person who abused me is doing life in jail.ā
LILY IS NOW FREE.
How did this happen? IJM has been partnering with the government in Ghana to strengthen the justice system, leading to 400 children set free from a life of slavery within the fishing industry. This is starting to shift the fear equation. Abusers who terrorized their victims are starting to fear the consequences. In response to increased investigations within the community by police trained by IJM, the fisherman released Lily on his own. Lily is now thriving. She received aftercare support and was able to complete a tailoring program as part of her dream of becoming a dressmaker. She has also started to use her voice for justice, joining a local survivor network to advocate for change.
A Movement to End Violence
At IJM, we are motivated to seek justice by our Christian faith. We are also committed to building a movement to end violence that is inclusive of everyone who stands against injustice. We partner with governments, human rights organizations, international development agencies, corporations, churches, philanthropists, individuals and families who have a shared passion to end violence.
As we live out our conviction to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, and defend the vulnerable from violence - we will make justice unstoppable.
The Untapped Potential Of Justice Systems
All justice systems have the core foundation required to stop slavery and violence.
What Prevents Justice Systems From Delivering Freedom & Protection?
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IJM has a global model to strengthen justice systems for freedom and protection
Collaborative Casework
At IJM, we are committed to working on specific cases of violence to secure freedom and justice for victims. In addition to helping the āone,ā casework also identifies gaps within the justice system and provides hands-on training opportunities with local authorities and partners.
Targeted System Transformation
Based on insights from casework and an assessment of justice system effectiveness, we design a targeted program to address the weaknesses. This may include training of the police, prosecutors and judges. It might include establishing trauma-informed practices that help survivors trust and rely on the justice system. It might involve setting up a special police unit or court to focus attention on specific crimes. The set of tools are the same, but the application is unique for each local context.
Survivor Empowerment
Local advocacy is critical to bring attention to the brutality of violence in the local community and increase pressure on justice officials to be part of the solution. There are no better advocates than survivors who have experienced restoration, as they have the credibility and lived experience that inspire action. Empowering survivors is critical for scaling impact.
Equipping Partners
To accelerate impact and develop sustainable solutions, IJM staff work with local partners to help implement programs and engage community leaders, international agencies and corporations to advocate for strengthening the justice system .
Measuring the Impact
IJM invests in third-party assessments to determine the prevalence of crimes and the effectiveness of the justice system. This is critical for designing our programs and securing outside validation on the level of impact at the end of a project.
90% of IJM program staff are local leaders working to strengthen the justice system in their country. These frontline staff are relentless in seeking justice, including Attorney Sam Inocencio, who leads IJMās work in the Philippines and was selected in 2024 for the prestigious Trafficking In Persons Hero Award from the U.S. Department of State.
IJM has been successful in every justice system strengthening project, reducing violence by 50-85%
EXPERT
Dr.
Dr.
In 2014, we started work in the Dominican Republic to address sex trafficking of children, which was happening at a massive level. 1 in 10 children living in poverty were being sold for sex by traffickers.
By 2022, the number of children being trafficked for sex had dropped by 78% due to the work of IJM and local partners to strengthen the justice system. As a result, many children will never experience the trauma and horror of sex trafficking.
In response to this dramatic drop in violence, strength of the justice system and robust coalition of local partners, we were able to phase out of the Dominican Republic to focus on replicating this effective model in new countries.
2014
IJM supports local authorities in the first joint rescue operation.
2016 IJM strengthens coalition of local partners.
2015 1st conviction of perpetrators for sex trafficking of minors in the Dominican Republic.
2017
IJM leads 1st training to aftercare providers and signed MOU with the office of the Vice President to train judges on trafficking issues.
2018 IJM helped implement the National Plan Against Human Trafficking.
2019
IJM secures a grant from the U.S. Department of State to strengthen prosecutorial capacity and assisted Dominican government in its 1st national rescue operation, rescuing 112 victims and arresting 18 suspected traffickers.
2020
The Dominican government bans child marriage after the national anti-trafficking coalition, led by IJM, successfully advocates for this change.
2021
The Investigation School of the National Police adopts IJM training course on trafficking and national police create an app to strengthen trafficking investigations.
2022 Due to the 78% reduction in sex trafficking and a strengthened justice system, IJM phased out the project to reallocate resource and replicate the model in other countries.
TODAY in the Dominican Republic
there are over 3,500 IJM-trained police officers, prosecutors, judges, social workers, psychologists, community leaders, and church leaders equipped to combat trafficking. In addition to this, there is a robust coalition of local partners to support these efforts that includes a survivor network.
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION (IJM)
has 1,300 local staff around the world who are committed to make justice unstoppable for people living in poverty
