International Justice Mission
Encyclopedia
International Justice Mission (IJM) is a U.S.-based non-profit human rights organization that operates in countries all over the world to rescue victims of individual human rights abuse. IJM works to combat human trafficking including the commercial sexual exploitation of children
, forced labor slavery
, illegal detention, police brutality and illegal land seizure
. Based on referrals of abuse received from relief and development organizations, IJM conducts professional investigations of the abuses and mobilizes intervention on behalf of the victims. Though it is a faith-based organization IJM assists victims regardless of their religion. The fourfold purpose of IJM is victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation.
, who currently serves as the president and CEO of the organization. Previously, he worked in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice, was director of the United Nations
genocide investigation
in Rwanda
in 1994, and served on the board of directors of the National Association of Evangelicals
.
The organization grew out of a group of Christian lawyers and was described by Haugen in a 1999 interview as existing within the Christian community and attempting to rekindle the social engagement of evangelical Christians.
Haugen and the work of IJM have been featured on “Dateline NBC,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,”http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200511/20051102/slide_20051102_284_210.jhtml FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Forbes Magazine, Need Magazine, Christianity Today, and in the New York Times Magazine. Haguen was also featured in Harvard Magazine and in the University of Chicago School of Law's magazine, "From The Record"
The organization's headquarters are in Washington, D.C.
and it has affiliate offices in Canada
, Germany, the Netherlands, and in the United Kingdom
. As of 2011, IJM has field offices in Guatemala
, Bolivia
, Thailand
, Cambodia
, the Philippines
Kenya
, Uganda
, Zambia
, Rwanda
, India
, and casework alliances in Honduras
, Ecuador
and Peru
.
. The annual financial reports and the independent auditor’s reports for the previous four years can be found on IJM’s website.
Only 20% of IJM’s funding comes from government grants. The rest is donated by individuals, churches, and foundations.
IJM does have a protocol for their foreign police partners which includes these requirements: that the police protect the sex workers from the media, that the police assure the sex workers that they are not being arrested, and that organizations that provide social services to sex workers not be implicated in police enforcement operations.
Commercial sexual exploitation of children
Commercial sexual exploitation of children constitutes a form of coercion and violence against children and amounts to forced labour and a contemporary form of slavery....
, forced labor slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, illegal detention, police brutality and illegal land seizure
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
. Based on referrals of abuse received from relief and development organizations, IJM conducts professional investigations of the abuses and mobilizes intervention on behalf of the victims. Though it is a faith-based organization IJM assists victims regardless of their religion. The fourfold purpose of IJM is victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation.
History
IJM was founded in 1997 by Gary HaugenGary Haugen
Gary Haugen serves as President and CEO of International Justice Mission, an international human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression worldwide.- Education :...
, who currently serves as the president and CEO of the organization. Previously, he worked in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice, was director of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
genocide investigation
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
in 1994, and served on the board of directors of the National Association of Evangelicals
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
.
The organization grew out of a group of Christian lawyers and was described by Haugen in a 1999 interview as existing within the Christian community and attempting to rekindle the social engagement of evangelical Christians.
Haugen and the work of IJM have been featured on “Dateline NBC,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,”http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200511/20051102/slide_20051102_284_210.jhtml FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Forbes Magazine, Need Magazine, Christianity Today, and in the New York Times Magazine. Haguen was also featured in Harvard Magazine and in the University of Chicago School of Law's magazine, "From The Record"
The organization's headquarters are in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and it has affiliate offices in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Germany, the Netherlands, and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. As of 2011, IJM has field offices in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and casework alliances in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Purpose
The purpose of this organization is to restore to victims of oppression their lives, their liberty, their dignity, and the fruits of their labor. It is also designed to prevent the enslavement and suffering of future generations. IJM outlines its purpose with four points:- Victim relief: to alleviate the suffering of the victims who have been brought to IJM’s attention.
- Perpetrator accountability: to use local justice systems to prosecute offenders, thus dissuading would-be future perpetrators because of the enforced consequences.
- Victim aftercare: to prepare the victims to rebuild their lives and to provide the care necessary for healing from the complex emotional and physical results of abuse through IJM employees and trustworthy local partner organizations.
- Structural transformation: to work with nationals and their governments to identify deficient areas in judicial systems and repair these areas so that long-term changes supporting the end of abuse and slavery occur. As of 2009, 90% of IJM’s 335 staff members are nationals of the countries they work in.
Financial information
IJM’s financial goal is to use its resources to provide the most relief possible for victims of oppression. IJM is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial AccountabilityEvangelical Council for Financial Accountability
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is an accreditation agency to promote fiscal integrity and sound financial practices among member organizations. Founded in 1979, it comprises over 2,000 evangelical Christian organizations which qualify for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and...
. The annual financial reports and the independent auditor’s reports for the previous four years can be found on IJM’s website.
Only 20% of IJM’s funding comes from government grants. The rest is donated by individuals, churches, and foundations.
Criticism
IJM’s work of rescuing victims from brothels has encountered criticism, as some brothels also have non-trafficked workers that view prostitution as the only means of supporting their families, due to lack of other opportunities, and return to the brothels. Some sex-worker advocates believe that the police involvement stimulated by IJM creates worse conditions for the women who want to be employed in the brothels.IJM does have a protocol for their foreign police partners which includes these requirements: that the police protect the sex workers from the media, that the police assure the sex workers that they are not being arrested, and that organizations that provide social services to sex workers not be implicated in police enforcement operations.