International Justice Mission’s Application of Representative Anecdotes
The International Justice Mission is a Christian non-profit human rights organization based in Washington D.C. that combats sex trafficking, sexual violence, forced labor, police brutality, property grabbing, citizens rights abuse, and other violent forms of oppression worldwide. IJM targets global injustice by working with law enforcement to ensure the rescue, recovery, and legal defense of victims while enacting laws to strengthen local justice systems. Since its formation in 1997, IJM has seen over 7,770 convictions and has rescued 23,000 victims in twenty communities, with partner offices in Australia, the UK, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. In addition to its full time staff, IJM relies on individuals, churches, businesses, and advocacy groups for prayer, fundraising, awareness raising events, and legal support in signing petitions and contacting elected officials regarding legislation to combat human trafficking. In order to connect with people on a personal level and affect change, IJM utilizes representative anecdotes.
To better understand the story IJM seeks to convey, we might look to their website’s Get To Know Us page. Here, IJM states that their vision is to “rescue thousands, protect millions, and prove that justice for the poor is possible”(IJM). They continue, listing out their key values of partnership with local governments and communities, diversity of staff, with 95% of staff
Human trafficking is a public health problem within the United States and Internationally. The victims subjected to the lifestyle of human trafficking can have sexually transmitted disease, HIV virus, and AIDS. It is an estimated 30,000 victims of human sex trafficking dying each year from abuse, disease, torture, and neglect. According, to U.S. government an estimates, of 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders annually, and up to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year (Hodge, 2008). “According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), over the past 30 years, over 30 million children have been sexually exploited through human trafficking” (Random Facts, 2015, para. 24).
Human trafficking is one of the many faces of organized crime. Human trafficking is a broad term which contains trafficking for the purpose of sex along with the exploitation of labor. Currently, there are 20.9 million victims of sex slavery (Stacy.j.cecchet 2014 482) whom have or are suffering suffer inhumane circumstances and consequences. Sex trafficking is one of the largest criminal activities in the world (Stacy 249). Vulnerable women and children are taken advantage of and thrown into sex slavery, yet there is no explanation available as to how women and children are taken and thrown into the industry within countries such as Canada and the United States of America (482 Stacy j Cecchet 2014), which have human rights protection. Sex slavery leaves everlasting mental and physical effects on the abused women and children being trafficked. Even though sex trafficking is a crime it is also, for a lack of better words, an industry which would cease to exist if it was not for the supply and demand for women and children.
Out of the thousands of people that have been human trafficking victims each year, only an insignificant amount of them is actually reported. Imagine being in 8th grade. Having all sorts of hopes and dreams. Now flash forward to dreams being taken away by a pimp that lures people into human trafficking. In short, this is true for Holly Austin Smith, a survivor of human trafficking. The punishment for the pimps that ruin the lives of these young girls is not severe. Therefore, there is not much help for the girls after they get rescued from this tragedy. A realization Holly had soon on and explains, “...Although I was soon recognized to be a victim, the specialized aftercare needed for a trafficking victim did not yet exist... Twenty years ago, there were no anti-trafficking laws in place. This pimp, who raped and lured a child into prostitution, served only 365 days in jail” (Smith). This young girl had recovered from this horrible incident all by herself. Many other girls in her position have gone through similar experiences and have been hurt by their pimp. In addition, the pimp will not receive much punishment. A sad story repeated across America and is very prominent in other countries. In America, most of the time victims are the ones that usually serve time in jail since in some cases it’s considered prostitution, even if it was forced by the pimp. In most cases, the pimps stay uncovered and if the victims of trafficking come forward as to who their pimp is, they
Human trafficking has received increasing global attention over the past decade. Trafficking of women and girls for forced sex work and, to a lesser extent, domestic servitude, were the sole focus of advocacy and assistance. There is recognition in today’s society that women, children, and men are trafficked into many different forms of labour, and for sexual exploitation. In her article, “Understanding and Addressing Violence Against Women”, Cathy Zimmerman and Heidi Stockl focus on the commonality of human trafficking and how evident it is in everyday life. They bring in the health effects and possible solutions to human trafficking to help validate their opinion and argument. In the solutions they offer, Zimmerman and Stockl shine a light on policy-makers/decision-makers, health-care providers, and researchers/funders and what each of these groups of people can do to help combat the issue of human trafficking. In a quote from their article, Stockl and Zimmerman say: “Health care providers and organizations involved with trafficked persons should increase their capacity to identify and refer people in trafficking situations and provide sensitive and safe services to people post-trafficking”. This quote shows how Zimmerman and Stockl believe human trafficking should be combated by caring and talking to those affected by the issue but how they also believe awareness should be made about human trafficking so as to allow people surrounding the issue to identify and help victims of this issue. Zimmerman and Stockl’s view on the ways human trafficking should be combatted relate to those of Soroptimist due to the fact that the two groups of people are focused mainly on helping women and girls who have been trafficked and trying to get them to a better life after getting out of the trafficking situation. Both groups focus on helping men as well, providing options to help them such as raising money and awareness, and getting educated on being able to identify victims of human trafficking.
Throughout the larger Caribbean region, the conversation of trafficking on a national platform, is virtually nonexistent. The Dominican Republic is the only country to have any sort of agenda for it. Through non-governmental organizations, trafficking survivors have access to orientation, assistance, protection, and health services, all of which are not available anywhere else in the region, which leaves survivors at greater risk of being re-trafficked. Throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, many countries have varying degrees of support for victims and the organization that shows the most promise for actually being successful in that
Considering Trafficking is not only in the United States, but all over the world, there are multiple organizations that are willing to help. These organizations are either helping victims that have already been affected or are still in the human trafficking business. One in particular organization is in the Dominican Republic. The organization, SCORE International, was founded nearly thirty years ago and has impacted many people through short term mission trips (“Ministries”). There are missionaries that live on campus and all over the Dominican Republic (“Ministries”). SCORE has many areas of ministry, but the ministry that is involved with human trafficking is called the Lily House.
Victims are usually extremely vulnerable members of society, chosen for that very reason. They include women, men and children. They are often young people who are hoping for a better life, have an unstable home life, are isolated from family, lack employment opportunities, have limited education level, possess a history of abuse, have undocumented status, addiction, disability, and suffer poverty, illiteracy, or some combination of these characteristics.
Polaris Project fights to do away with slavery of the modern age. They focus on responding to victims efficiently and without delay. They provide communities and stakeholders the resources to address and prevent human trafficking. Doing so, disrupts the criminal enterprises network of human trafficking business. Polaris offers national hotlines, global hotlines, client services, texting hotlines, government relations, advisory services, data analysis, and strategic interventions (Polaris, 2017). Overall, this organization is dedicated to eradicating human trafficking and all avenues in which it operates.
We fail to prevent it, discuss it, or even acknowledge it. However, inaction will only exacerbate a problem that should not be allowed to continue. Gardner-Webb University “Release the Captives” club is an on campus anti-human trafficking club that raises awareness and funding for anti human trafficking organizations. But we still need help. There are a number of ways you can help us in stopping human trafficking: become involved in human anti-trafficking awareness, support any anti-trafficking organization that you feel comfortable with, pray for all (victims, responders, persecutors, and profiteers) involved in human trafficking, and continue to pray that God’s justice will break out in the
Anti-Slavery International's Trafficking Programme comprises three elements: campaigning to end human trafficking, lobbying for victim protection, and research on measures governments take to protect victims of trafficking, especially those who act as witnesses. The web site provides information about both current and historical slavery operations.
Also, there is the matter of trust and fear. Victims are often, for example, frightened to believe they can accept help without owing something back. Some survivors are too afraid because they fear their traffickers too much to accept any services. Furthermore, it aggravates victims to find out that the time is takes for cases to be prosecuted and to gain protections is very extensive. Intensifying the existing laws to better defend human trafficking victims is critical.The United States Government, in 2000, certified the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. This act helps prosecute traffickers and support victims. Since then the number of recognized victims of trafficking has risen as well as trials and social service providers working with survivors. Because of this it gives researchers an opportunity to track and study the issue deeper and come up with new solutions (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2005).
As a student ambassador for the Catholic Relief Service Organization and my experience in the Campus Ministry for five years, I am able to provide humanitarian aid and promote campaigns to let people become aware of issues in the world by organizing campaigns ads, coordinating fundraising, and participating in charity work, such as soup kitchens, volunteering in pro-life activities programs such as with the Curo Women's Care Clinic of Pittsburgh, and acting as a retreat leader. Recently, I have been focusing on the topic of human trafficking with the CRS organization. I am able to participate in aid projects, promote service, and plan visits to victims. The victims understanding that there are people who are working for their cause will open
The U.S. has tried to put forth efforts to prevent human trafficking, but they have failed to meet the overwhelming needs of victims. Victims have a long list of needs ranging anywhere from their physical needs, such as safe housing and medical care, all the way to their mental needs of having someone like a therapist. Smith writes that there is no one government agency dedicated to helping victims and providing such a wide array of needs. But there are many non-government agencies whose goal is to help assist victims (Smith 6-7). UNODC acknowledges that UNICEF, known as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, is one of the leading agencies who are fighting human trafficking. Other organizations, such as International Labor
There are many aid projects across the world who claim to help millions of people, but because these aid projects claim to help millions of people, that does not always mean that is the case There are many different aid types, and there can be aid for almost anything an area needs help with. One aid project that not many people know about is called the Polaris Project. After being exposed to a story of six South Korean women being forced to work in a brothel, Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman were inspired to do something about modern-day slavery (“Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman: Fighting Human Trafficking" 3). Fast-forward 13 years and the Polaris Project is the world’s leading non-profit human trafficking aid organization in the
This research paper dives into the world of human trafficking looking into key details about the ethical implications of human trafficking as well as proposed solutions. With information such as statistics, methods of trafficking and the ending of trafficking that is found from websites from organizations that are dedicated to ending trafficking, the involvement of all countries are cited as necessary in ending this worldly crime. Information was found through University of South Florida’s library system and websites with information pertaining to their organization’s attempts at ending human trafficking. Articles utilized include Unintended Effects of United Nations Intervention, From Bush to Obama: Rethinking Sex and Religion in the U.S. Initiative to Combat Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking, and Supply and Demand: Human Trafficking in the Global Economy. In addition to these scholarly articles, websites used include the organizational websites of UNODC and UNICEF.