Andrea and I had the treat last night of joining some friends to see Sara Groves, Derek Webb, Brandon Heath, Sandra McCracken and Charlie Peacock in concert. Beyond the stellar musical performances, the evening was focused on raising awareness of justice issues.
One of the organizations Sara and others work with is an outfit called International Justice Mission, or IJM. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.
During the concert we heard a number of stories and watched several videos about the work of IJM. In many ways, it's a modern day Underground Railroad. Here is a bit more about them from their website.
Founded in 1997, IJM began operations in response to a massive need. Historically, humanitarian and missions organizations worked faithfully and courageously to bring healthcare, education, food and other vital services to those who needed them. But little had been done to actually restrain the oppressors who are a source of great harm to the vulnerable.
Concerned by this need, a group of lawyers, human rights professionals and public officials launched an extensive study of the injustices witnessed by overseas missionaries and relief and development workers. This study, surveying more than 65 organizations and representing 40,000 overseas workers, uncovered a nearly unanimous awareness of abuses of power by police and other authorities in the communities where they served. Without the resources or expertise to confront the abuse and to bring rescue to the victims, these overseas workers required the assistance of trained public justice professionals.
Gary Haugen, working as a lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice and as the United Nations’ Investigator in Charge in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, founded International Justice Mission as a response to this massive need. Today, IJM has grown to nearly 300 professionals working in their own communities to fight injustice.
IJM's Response Today
Through individual casework, IJM confronts aggressive human violence: violence that strips widows and orphans of their property and livelihoods, violence that steals dignity and health from children trafficked into forced prostitution, violence that denies freedom and security to families trapped in slavery.
Violence against the poor is not driven by the overwhelming power of the perpetrators – it is driven by the vulnerability of the victims. This violence can be stopped when the power of the law is brought to bear on behalf of those who need it, and when people of good will contribute their financial and professional resources to insisting it stop.
IJM’s casework model combats victimization and violence on the level of the individual, and supports functioning public justice systems where the poor urgently need an advocate.
Core Commitments
In the tradition of abolitionist William Wilberforce and transformational leaders like Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr., IJM’s work is founded on the Christian call to justice articulated in the Bible (Isaiah 1:17): Seek justice, protect the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
IJM seeks to restore to victims of oppression the things that God intends for them: their lives, their liberty, their dignity, the fruits of their labor. By defending and protecting individual human rights, IJM seeks to engender hope and transformation for those it serves and restore a witness of courage in places of oppressive violence. IJM helps victims of oppression regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or gender.
Moving Forward
IJM has seen significant progress in its fight against oppression and injustice in the past 10 years, and remains committed to expanding its work in the next decade. Priorities for 2008 include strengthening efforts to free victims of sex trafficking and slavery, and continuing efforts to secure relief for widows whose property and sole means of livelihood has been seized illegally.
IJM continues to build networks with aftercare and other social service and government providers to ensure long-term care of clients. IJM will continue to secure prosecutions of perpetrators and contribute to positive structural change through on-the-ground involvement with the casework, courts and people of local justice systems around the world. For more on IJM in 2008 visit: Justice Agendaand Results from 2007 in the letter from President Gary Haugen.
I don't quite know yet how we might be involved in IJM, but I do know that Andrea and I both felt a deep pull last night to get behind their mission. If you are interested in learning more, visit their website: www.ijm.org