ReZoom

Region #17: Washington, DC

The International Justice Mission (IJM) is a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression. According to IJM, more than 10 million children in South Asia are held illegally in bonded slavery. Between 50 percent and 85 percent of prisoners in many developing countries have never been convicted or charged with a crime. And many rapists in some countries are never sent to jail, simply because the laws are not enforced. IJM rescues children from prostitution and slavery, restores families to their land and frees men and women from illegal detention.

Winning Regional Essay

A Better World for Victims of Oppression

"In today's world, millions of people are victims of injustice. Young girls are forced into prostitution, subjected to pain, suffering and disease. Families toil in bonded slavery, working long hours in dangerous conditions, losing their freedom, futures and sometimes lives. Widows lose their land, leaving them without support for their futures. And, these abuses are completely against the law."

"Individuals are brutalized because the public justice systems that were designed to protect them are broken and do not work for the poor. In the developing world, law enforcement and legal professionals are often poorly resourced and trained. Because of this scarcity, resources are deployed to protect the things that society values the most. Women, children and the poor are not highly valued. In the absence of a credible law enforcement threat, open season is declared upon them, and millions of people are victimized."

International Justice Mission (IJM) seeks to create a better world by:
• Conducting the investigations necessary to rescue victims of injustice and gain evidence against their abusers.
• Partnering with local aftercare providers to allow victims to heal and recover.
• Bringing the abusers to justice so there is a price to pay for their illegal activities.
• Training local authorities to do the work of justice for their communities.
• Encouraging the structural changes necessary to prevent future abuses.

"As just one example, when Jyoti was 14, she was traveling home from a nearby village where she was working to earn money for her family. Four women befriended her and then drugged her and sold her into prostitution. For three days, Jyoti was beaten with metal pipes until she was forced to provide sex to the brothel customers. She was raped by 20-30 men each and every day for three years. IJM investigators learned about Jyoti and raided the brothel, freeing Jyoti and seeing the brothel keeper charged with her crimes. After a year of aftercare to help her heal, Jyoti led IJM investigators back to the red-light district to help rescue other girls like her. IJM creates a better world for Jyoti and thousands of others by directly rescuing them from abuse and pain. Even more powerfully, by holding individual abusers accountable, IJM indirectly frees those who are currently being abused as well as protects potential future victims. And, as other would-be abusers see that if they break the law, they will get caught and pay a price, they are dissuaded from criminal activities through the deterrent power of justice, protecting millions of potential future victims. By mobilizing national professionals, IJM increases available resources, promotes local ownership and proves that this work can and will be done."

If They Won the $100,000 National Award ...

"As a young husband and father, Nagaraj was forced to borrow money from a local money lender during a particularly desperate time in his life. He and a few other villagers needed to buy food to feed their families during a drought. The money lender was all too willing to lend the money, but Nagaraj and his fellow villagers found out too late that they were essentially selling themselves and their families into slavery for this loan."

"For years, Nagaraj and his wife and children were forced to work long hours in the blazing hot sun to make and transport bricks. After years of this work, they were no closer to paying off the loan than when they first started because the money lender charged high interest rates, frequently did not pay them for their work and required re-payment in a lump sum."

"Nagaraj's slave owner was particularly brutal. He would regularly beat up slaves or cut off their ears to teach the others 'a lesson' if they misbehaved or were late in returning from an errand."

"IJM learned about this case but could not proceed because the slaves were in complete fear of the owner and refused to talk to us ... until we met Nagaraj. Under the cover of darkness, Nagaraj snuck out of the brick kiln to meet with IJM and tell his story. He also encouraged other slaves to come out and give their accounts."

"As a result of this evidence and testimony, IJM worked with local authorities to raid the brick kiln and free 78 men, women and children including Nagaraj and his family."

"Today, Nagaraj lives as a free man and has his own brick kiln where he is able to earn a living and support his family, making bricks with "his own free hands."

"The IJM mission is driven by a massive need in the world. This need is manifest in the suffering of men, women and children like Nagaraj and his family – individuals who are hurting not because they lack access to food, medicine or shelter – but those who are hurting because they have oppressors who abuse their power to take from them the good things that are rightfully theirs – their lives, their liberty and the pursuit of their love and labors."

"Every day, men, women and children in the developing world are vulnerable to assaults and abuses of the most brutal and basic nature. According to UNICEF, more than one million children – some as young as nine and 10 years old – are forced into sexual slavery in South and Southeast Asia. Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 10 million children in South Asia are held illegally in bonded slavery. Between 50 percent and 85 percent of prisoners in many developing countries have never been convicted or charged with a crime – many suffering brutal beatings and torture as they languish in prison. Rape and sexual violence victimize massive numbers of women and girls in the developing world because the perpetrators of such crimes are rarely ever sent to jail. All of these abuses are completely against the laws of their respective countries, but the laws are simply not enforced."

"In celebrating IJM's 10th anniversary in 2007, we have begun planning to maximize and leverage the momentum and experiences gained through our first 10 years of operations. We believe we are being called to aggressively and joyfully take IJM to new heights, including significantly increasing and expanding our casework capacities, significantly expanding our ability to mobilize and engage Americans into the work of justice and continuing to secure the financial and volunteer resources to meet these goals."

"As we prepare for this new era of justice work, the IJM Board of Directors and global staff team are greatly encouraged by the significance and growth of the relief and development efforts of the past 50 years."

"Organizations devoted to the causes of caring for those most in need are now allocating billions of dollars each year to provide our global neighbors with the food, medicine, schools, shelter and care they need. We know that we must invest in justice to secure these services and support for men, women and children – both in the short term and for years to come."

"In the course of IJM's work, every day we are taught that in a world where the poor have no voice, often the difference between life and death, justice and injustice, freedom and prison, depends upon whether we can show up on their behalf. The national award of $100,000 will allow IJM to 'show up' for countless more victims of oppression – people with names and faces just like Nagaraj and his family – in our world through direct rescue and preventative measures."

"The national award will allow IJM to rescue more children from forced prostitution, free more boys and girls from bonded slavery, protect more street children from abusive authorities, restore more families to their land and property and free more men and women from illegal detention. The national award will be invested to allow IJM to provide these men, women and children with rescue, support and renewed hope for their lives and futures."

"The funds provided by the award will equip IJM to significantly strengthen, expand and leverage our model of justice. We plan to mobilize and engage American and national individuals, legal and law enforcement professionals, and our faith communities to meet the needs of those suffering under oppression, creating a better world for all men, women and children."