In the magazine:
Relief organizations often act as charities. They provide relief, but their hands are tied when it comes to changing systemic problems. International Justice Mission (IJM) is different. For them it is not enough to give aid; they must also work to solve problem at its root.
Their mission is to be an advocate of the oppressed, many of whom are slaves. If you think slavery is a faraway problem and one that doesn’t affect you, think again. “There is often a thread of slavery running through our goods,” says IJM Canada founder and executive Director Jamie McIntosh. “Sadly, though, slavery is often invisible to our eyes, and so we miss out on the privilege of joining in the greatest liberation movement the world may have ever known — helping the 27,000,000 slaves currently held in brick kilns and brothels in our modern world — abroad and at home.”
We take for granted that freedom doesn’t cost us anything. This is not the case for those IJM works with. “What the oppressed need is someone who will use their voice on their behalf and say to the oppressor ‘Take your hands off!'” states Mark Wollenberg, IJM’s regional representative in Western Canada.
“We must courageously look and see what God sees and then respond and say that we will raise our voice for the oppressed until they are free.”
In Chennai India 514 slaves were recently freed from forced labour slavery by IJM. These dedicated heroes are committed to justice, and have been for 14 years. “Seeking justice is not giving someone a hand out or a hand up,” Wollenberg adds. Without the safety justice provides, there is no sustainable living, no assurance that life will thrive given the chance. Justice paves the way for success.
They’ve called their method the collaborative casework approach. It is complex and designed on a case-by-case basis.
First, IJM works with local authorities to ensure victims are rescued. Working in collaboration with local authorities requires trust and accountability from both parties.
In Chennai, India, the success has been remarkable. “This is the most impressive display we have seen to date of the government being proactive in combating bonded labour and being sensitive to the needs of the victims,” remarked Saju Mathew, IJM South Asia regional director in an August press release. “It is a huge encouragement to work with talented, dedicated officials like these, who clearly demonstrate the potential of the government to lead the charge against bonded labour in India.”
IJM and local officials don’t just rescue and release. The victims enter aftercare programs. For a sex trafficking victim, this could mean counseling to help heal the trauma and retraining to help secure meaningful employment. For a former slave, it is imperative to help him learn how to function in his newfound freedom. Some have been slaves for so long, that they’ve never been outside the walls of the place where they were held, or learned the days of the week, or things we take for granted, like knowing that the world is round.
Perpetrators of these crimes are held accountable for their actions. They’re shown that they can’t continue their illegal practices, whether it’s selling minors for sex, stealing land from a widow, or holding slaves captive, without consequences. They learn that breaking the law could mean going to jail, being fined or losing their business. Suddenly, it’s a lot more expensive for these violent oppressors to continue their exploitation of people. IJM gives justice the upper hand and leaves a legacy wherever they go.
For McIntosh this approach does more than just good, it restores what is right. “It has been said that justice is what love looks like in public. It has also been said that we need to understand that often we think we are engaged in acts of charity when really we are only giving people — or, rather, returning to them — their due,” he says. “Charity binds up the broken, justice protects from the intrusion of brokenness.”
