International Justice Mission: Ensuring Public Justice Especially for the Poor

You see it every day in the news...exploited children, human trafficking, young women or even girls exploited in the commercial sex industry...often they are poor, seemingly helpless without anyone to turn to for help.

But I learned that there is actually a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of sexual exploitation, slavery and other forms of violent oppression. This agency is the International Justice Mission (IJM) and they have people in Cebu also. IJM people work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, prosecution of perpetrators and the promotion of functioning public justice systems.

They have already rescued hundreds of trafficking victims and charged more than a hundred suspected traffickers in Metro Cebu. Talking of IJM Philippines nationwide, convictions number to about 42.

As a result of their Project Lantern, there was an increase in law enforcement activity in sex trafficking cases and an increase in the commitment to resolving such cases. There was also an increase in support services such as sheltering, career training and counseling for the victims.

But IJM still needs our help especially with supporting the victims. For example you can help send a client of theirs to school or you can help by providing start-up capital for business to help the client integrated back to the society to start anew and get him or her going.

IJM is also looking for student advocates who share the same passion as them towards this advocacy. They welcome students who plan to start a justice advocates students organization in school.

You may contact IJM Cebu in this number: 256-2866 or email them at cebu@ijm.org. You can follow them at twitter where they are using the handle @IJMHQ