BREAKING NEWS: 149 rescued from a life of slavery in India

Here is an email I received from IJM this week.  I love hearing about success stories like these.

Dear John,

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and we are celebrating freedom. Just this week in India, 149 children, women and men have been freed from a life of slavery.

When our partner Jana Jagriti Kendrafirst called us about the case, they believed three families were enslaved in the brick kiln. So we were all shocked to find more than ten times as manyfamilies trapped there.

The momentum is building, and we’re helping transform entire systems to bring more rescue. A few days ago, the Indian government asked IJM to train local police officers on how to combat slavery throughout a whole state – that’s more than 12,000 police officers. Fighting slavery has never before been part of the state’s official training. These local police are the critical first-responders, and now they will be equipped with the knowledge they need to stop slavery in their communities. It’s a huge step forward.

We know the problem of slavery is massive, but we are seeing rescue and change happen on a bigger scale than ever before.

Thank you for celebrating freedom with us at the start of this new year. We can’t wait to bring freedom to more families and help transform the systems that protect entire communities.

Gratefully,

Saju Mathew
Director of Operations, South Asia

P.S. Read more about this week’s rescue operation that freed dozens of slaves – including one girl who was only 3 years old.

SOURCE: http://www.ijm.org/

Congress fails to pass the TVPRA, but we have hope

On Thursday, the 112th Congress ended without passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). This law—originally passed in 2000 and reauthorized by Congress unanimously three separate times—is our nation’s foundation for the fight against human trafficking at home and around the world. The bill could have passed at the close of the year through a process called "unanimous consent," (in which representatives signal their support for a bill without a formal vote), but three senators placed anonymous "holds" on the bill, preventing it from moving forward.

We are saddened and disappointed that Congress did not prioritize the needs of those in bondage by passing this critical bill, compromising U.S. leadership in the fight against slavery even as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Despite this setback, we are hopeful: Every phone call, email, meeting, letter to the editor, and one-on-one conversation in support of the TVPRA you had last year made a difference. None of your effort was wasted, and we are tremendously grateful for your partnership and friendship in this fight.

Because of the support of people like you, anti-slavery advocates secured nearly 60 Senate co-sponsors on the TVPRA in 2012. During a time when Congress agreed on very little, you communicated that ending slavery is an issue that all Americans can agree on. Though the TVPRA must be reintroduced in the new Congress, your help in building such strong support for the bill last year gives us a strong foundation for 2013. We will work to see the bill passed early in this new year.

Yours in hope,

Eileen Campbell
Director of Advocacy International Justice Mission

For ways you can take action now, visit FreedomCommons.IJM.org.

International Justice Mission Year 2012 Review

The International Justice Mission (IJM) reached some wonderful milestones in the fight against slavery. Here is a quick recap of what they worked to accomplish in 2012.

2012 milestones and shared victories

January 1 – Google joins us in the fight against slavery, and turns up the heat to fund mobilizing advocates in the U.S. and overseas in India.

January 17 – Your Voices Heard: The state legislature in New Jersey passed a crucial piece of legislation that will aid victims of human trafficking. This bill, called a safe harbor law, is an important step forward in the fight against slavery right here in our own country.

January 24 – With the President’s State of the Union address that night, Justice Campaigns advocates around the country begin mobilizing others to  ask the President to make slavery a priority. Goal set: 27,000 signatures (symbolizing the 27 million slaves around the world).

February 29 – We meet our goal of 27,000 signatures for President Obama, but decide to build on this momentum to mobilize even more voices (see a video from Holly).

March 11 – 72 Days for Freedom Campaign launches – Atlanta’s Passion City Church joins Justice Campaigns to turn the 27,000 number upside down and sets a new goal of 72,000 signatures asking President Obama to help end slavery..

April 5 – Your Voices Heard: West Virginia became the 49^th state to pass a criminal law against human trafficking. The bill criminalizes both labor and sex trafficking and authorizes training for law enforcement to help them identify and investigate trafficking cases. Advocates throughout West Virginia had worked hard to lay the groundwork for this bill’s passing, including IJM state advocacy leaders Travis Wirt and Kendra Rogers, who worked to educate their state legislators about the bill and were invited to attend the bill signing.

April 16 – On IJM Justice Campaigns’ annual lobby day, advocates from 40 states around the country joined us to storm the Hill and make our voices heard to Congress. 

April 26 – 72 Days for Freedom is a huge success – and 72,000^th person signs a letter to President Obama.

June 18 - On the same day the U.S. State Department issued the annual Trafficking Persons (TIP) Report, Gary Haugen, IJM’s CEO and President received the abolition movement’s highest honor. The U.S. State Department awarded Gary and nine others its annual anti-trafficking TIP Hero award. Gary also delivers the 73,000 letters to President Obama, along with Louis Giglio of Passion City Church.

June 20 – IJM Justice Campaigns announces Recipe for Change, its first-ever domestic supply chain advocacy campaign to end slavery in Florida’s tomato fields. Celebrity bloggers, food advocates and hundreds of others joined us to spread the word. Nearly 8,000 emails were sent to CEOs from major supermarkets that have not signed onto the Fair Food Program, and more than 3,000 tweets shared our message.

July 17 – Holly Burkhalter, our VP of Government Relations, testifies before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations along with Jada Pinkett Smith and David Abramowitz. As she describes in her letter from Washington, she expresses her excitement for the opportunity she had to speak with one voice collectively about the issues we care about. Meeting the Smiths wasn’t bad, either.

September 1 – Advocates around the country gather around major supermarket chain locations of companies who have not signed onto the Fair Food Program in Recipe for Change’s National Day of Action.

September 25 – Your Voices Heard: A the Clinton Global Initiative conference, the President of the United States delivers a speech that squarely addresses the issue of modern day slavery and includes several new initiatives to combat it. President Obama also issues an Executive Order to address slavery in U.S. government contracts, one of the main priorities identified in the  73,000 letters we delivered.

November 14 - The Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking is formed, co-chaired by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rob Portman (R-OH). This Caucus will provide a multijurisdictional forum where members can come together to combat human trafficking. Senator Portman's championing in the fight against slavery was emboldened through the advocacy of thousands of Ohioans.

November 27: The U.S. State Department, the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center honors IJM President and CEO Gary Haugen as the second American to receive this year’s TIP Hero award. At the reception, they also unveil the film Journey to Freedom, which includes stories of anti-trafficking victims and heroes—a film played in U.S. Embassies around the globe.

November 29 - Your Voices Heard: The Senate and House pass the End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act, which requires government contractors to take full responsibility for the actions of their subcontractors and recruiters regarding labor trafficking.

As we wrap up this year and look back on these victories from 2012 which we share together, let’s be encouraged about our journey ahead. As Holly puts it, now the hard work begins, but 2012 has shown us better than ever that together we are capable of moving the needle.

We’re so grateful to be in this together with you—thank you for leading the fight to end slavery with us.

Gratefully,

IJM Justice Campaigns

SOURCE: http://freedomcommons.ijm.org/news/national/year-review-our-milestones-fight-against-slavery

IJM Celebrates 15 Years of Justice

15 years ago, IJM began in response to one massive problem: poor children and families around the world desperately needed a defender.

Today, because of your partnership, we have thousands of reasons to celebrate -- from girls rescued from brothels, to families freed from slavery; from traffickers and rapists held accountable to justice systems changing to protect the poor.

Over the next 15 years, we are embracing a bold vision to protect millions. Thank you for walking with us -- as we celebrate 15 years of justice, we celebrate this movement of friends and supporters.

SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9rQ_T8zfKsk

The New IJM Advocacy Handbook

I received the information below in an email from the International Justice Mission. This is a great resource with a free printable PDF of The Advocate's Handbook. It's a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to get involved to help end modern-day slavery.

My favorite section is the Lobbying section with tips and guidelines on how to setup a Lobby Meeting, This includes a sample meeting request form, discussion points, etc... This is something I have not done yet myself, but using this guide I plan to.  What makes this even more effective is using the "report card" follow-up sheet to really learn from the experience and make improvements for future Lobby Meetings.

There are a number of other great ideas and tools, but I also found the "100 Postcard Challenge" to be an intriguing idea. It's on page 45.

Have you seen The Advocate’s Handbook?

We are so grateful for everything you do to advocate on behalf of victims of modern-day slavery, so we wanted to make sure you were equipped with all the tools you need! The Advocate’s Handbook will help you raise your voice and build an advocacy campaign that will help end modern-day slavery.

Get Your Copy of The Advocate’s Handbook »

Upcoming Run 4 Justice 5K in Dallas

Announcing the Run4Justice annual 5K race in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area on Saturday 10/27!  This is a great local event put together by the 121 Community Church and the International Justice Mission.

Last year over 1,300 people participated in the race. Having run in my share of 5K's, that is a lot of participants. This year they expect to have over 1,500 runners, which is great for raising awareness and funds to combat human trafficking. 

121 Community Church has a longstanding relationship with IJM and this event was the brainchild of one of our Local Mission Pastors looking for a way to educate & mobilize people in DFW to address oppression around the world, and particularly in Cambodia.  

For more details and to register for the race, go to http://www.run4justice.com/

2012 Run4Justice | Promo from 121 Community Church on Vimeo.

National Call-in Day to Pass TVPRA

Today is the National Call-in Day to Pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act! Thank you to those of you who have already committed to calling your senators. Today, thousands of abolitionists around the country will raise a groundswell of support for this life-saving legislation to fight trafficking at home and abroad.

Calling will take about 2 minutes per office — just visit IJM’s National Call-In Day webpage to find the contact information for your senators, along with a sample script to help you with your calls.

To make sure the message is heard loud and clear, we want to generate 3,000 calls, coming from all 50 states—so we need your help! When you make and log your calls, I hope you’ll invite your friends to do the same. The more voices we have, the more powerful this day of action will be!

Thank you for raising your voice on behalf of those in slavery.

Join the National Call-in Day to Pass the TVPRA on Sep 8!

I received the following invitation from the International Justice Mission (IJM) last week and I extend the same invitation to everyone. This is something simple you can do to help pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization act. Just watch the video below to see how easy it is to call in. A few minutes of your time will go a long way to help pass vital anti-trafficking legislation. You can find your legislators phone number at http://www.ijm.org/national-call-in-day.

From IJM:
Abolitionists around the country are advocating for the passage of theTrafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act – bi-partisan legislation to sustain life-saving programs that fight human trafficking at home and abroad.

This legislation must be reauthorized every few years, and is set to expire this year on September 30. On September 8, join IJM and abolitionists around the country for the National Call-In Day to Pass the TVPRA!

There are many issues competing for your Senators' attention right now, so they need to hear from constituents who care about ending modern-day slavery to make the TVPRA a priority. Last year, your calls in support of the Child Protection Compact Act helped generate 13 new co-sponsors for that bill in the House and Senate. Let's work together to generate 3,000 calls – from all 50 states.

CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR PLEDGE TO CALL.



IJM National Call-In Day: September 8, 2011 from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

In addition to calling your Senators, you can send them an email using this form letter created by IJM. You can edit the letter, add your address and the email will automatically be sent to your Senators. It's another simple way to have your voice heard. SEND YOUR EMAIL.

How do you find one missing girl?

Mumbai is a city of 18 million people. How do you find one missing girl? Suhana was rescued not one, but twice. You can help the International Justice Mission rescue many more. Please watch this 12 minute video and decide what you can do.

Click here to donate.

You can also text "FREEDOM" to 20222 to donate $10 using your mobile phone.

500 Slaves Freed from Brick Kilns in India

More than 500 slaves rescued from brick kilns

From CNN's Mallika Kapur

Chennai, India - Beaten with rods, belts and subjected to other forms of abuse, the bonded laborers toiled away in a tiny brick kiln in southern India day after day with little hope of freedom and escape.

But on a tip, officials from the government of Tamil Nadu state in India raided the kiln. What they found shocked them: More than 500 people living and working under a brutal and oppressive system.

"We worked all the time. We would only stop to eat," says 20-year-old Dambru Jani, who was rescued in the raid. "If we tried to rest, they'd abuse us and force us to work again."

Saju Mathew is the national director for the International Justice Mission, the human rights group that assisted the government with the raid. He said that even though India banned bonded labor in 1976, the practice of paying back a loan or advance with work, not money, still exists...(Read More at http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/29/more-than-500-slaves-rescued-from-brick-kilns/)

Secretary Clinton on Slavery, 500 Slaves Freed by IJM, and more...

Sec. Clinton on slavery: "Unforgettable and unforgivable" – CNN Press Room

cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com - In a CNN Freedom Project exclusive, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat down with CNN’s Jim Clancy (@ClancyCNN) to discuss the recently released 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. ...

More than 500 slaves rescued from brick kilns – The CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern-Day Slavery

thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com - From CNN's Mallika Kapur Chennai, India - Beaten with rods, belts and subjected to other forms of abuse, the bonded laborers toiled away in a tiny brick kiln in southern India day after day with li...

A Night For Freedom with the International Justice Mission

Last week I attended a benefit dinner for the International Justice Mission (IJM) at the Fairmont in downtown Dallas, TX. Knowing of the wonderful work IJM does to not only free people from slavery, but to also ensure justice is met against the perpetrators, I jumped at the chance to attend and learn more about IJM first-hand.

I thought it would be a cozy dinner of say 100 - 200 people in a smaller ballroom at the Fairmont. Instead, the place was jam packed with nearly 800 in attendance in the large Regency Ballroom. Wow! I was blown away by the turnout and the incredible amount of support shown in both service and monetary means for this great cause.

(Above: Guests pouring into the foyer before the benefit dinner)

In the foyer, guests shared in pre-dinner conversation as they admired touching displays of families and children freed from slavery by IJM. Within fifteen minutes of my arrival the foyer became standing room only as hundreds more guests arrived.

This is only the second year IJM has done a benefit dinner in Dallas. The first year they expected a small number, much as I did for this year's event, but instead received hundreds in response with a record-breaking turnout. This year was no different. The more I thought about this outpouring of support, the less surprised I became, given the generous hospitality and strong faith-base of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. One of the displays in the foyer highlighted this generosity as it told the story of the local 121 Community Church, and their amazing efforts to raise $133,000 for IJM through their Run 4 Justice event.

(Above: Photographs on display of families and children freed from slavery)

(Above: One local church raised $133,000 for IJM with their "Run 4 Justice" race event. You can learn more about it at www.run4justice.com)

The evening dinner opened with a wonderful invocation by Van Beckwith, a local attorney and the benefit chairperson. I came to realize through conversations with other guests that Van Beckwith was a driving force behind the success of the dinner and local support for IJM. Nearly everyone I spoke with somehow knew him or knew of him.

The evening continued with uplifting stories of hope, freedom and love shared by the IJM National Director of Development, Melissa Russel, the India Field Office Director and IJM President, Gary Haugen.

I can't share these stories with you in detail as IJM asked that no electronic devices, videos or pictures be used to capture or record these stories. Doing so could jeopardize the very lives of those freed from slavery, IJM investigators and members of IJM staff in foreign field offices.

But I did jot down a few notes of things that particularly moved and inspired me from the evenings events.

The Success of Cebu & Project Lantern

IJM received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, titled Project Lantern. The goal of the project was to drop the level of child sex trafficking by 20% in Cebu, the second largest city in the Philippines.

Over the course of four years, between 2006 to 2010, IJM worked with local authorities to rescue more than 220 individuals from forced sex work and arrested nearly 90 suspects. IJM worked tirelessly to help ensure the police and courts provided fair treatment to victims and maintained laws in convicting sex traffickers.

As a result of their work, independent researchers found the level of sex trafficking in children had dropped 79% in metro Cebu. 79%! (read the full report) That's a significant impact on a very large metro area. With laws being upheld and traffickers being convicted, many perpetrators of child sex trafficking just quite the business.

"When public justice systems are made to protect the poor- and slave owners, traffickers and other criminals can no longer act with impunity- millions of vulnerable children, women and men will never be abused." (IJM pamphlet on Project Lantern)

Project lantern proves that the IJM model of ensuring justice and upholding laws is not only a tool for initial response, but provides prevention against future slavery.

We Just Don't Go Away

IJM President, Gary Haugen shared two stories of freedom. In one story a family and dozens of others were freed from slavery on a rice mill in India. Working 18 hour days, carrying 100 lbs. bags of rice, being fed just enough food to survive, these families were held under the false pretense of debt bondage. Through the work of IJM, the families were freed.

But that is not the end of the story. The true labor of love came in the work to convict the rice mill owner and prevent future slavery in this area. Even with an abundance of incriminating evidence and testimony, the justice system failed to convict the mill owner because of his wealth, bribes, and political influence. He was set free, only to fill his mill with more slaves.

But IJM didn't quite, and unfortunately for the mill owner "we just don't go away...ever," said Gary Haugen.

It took six years of effort, thousands of hours of just filling out paperwork and over 50 trips to a court house four hours away, but IJM's work paid off.

Earlier this year the mill owner and his chief operator were convicted of "habitual use of slaves," which carried with it a harsh sentence putting them away for a long, long time. There had not been a conviction for this crime in India since the late 1800's.

Nothing like 50 Trips to the DMV

What did it really take to get this conviction? Gary Haugen put the work of IJM into perspective when he compared it to going to the DMV on the busiest day possible.

"Now I don't know what the DMV is like in Dallas. I'm sure it's crisp and efficient and a lovely place to be. Now go ahead and picture 50 visits to the DMV. Then picture that while you live in Dallas, you have to actually make your 50 visits to the DMV in Houston."

Houston is a little over a 4 hour drive from Dallas. Now picture that about half of those visits are a complete waste of time and that you spent 6,100 hours just waiting at the DMV.

This is what happened in the case above. It was a four hour trip to the court house and over 50% off the time it yielded nothing, because the case was moved, more paperwork needed to be filled out, the opposing counsel didn't show up, the judge didn't show up and the list goes on and on. IJM colleagues spent 6,100 hours at the courthouse to get this conviction.

"That's 1,000 hours more than all the hours one of my children will spend in school during their four years of high school. That's a lot of time, just ask my kids," said Gary Haugen.

Now I don't know about you, but that type of tedious work with slow results would drive me nuts. That is a true labor of love. It's one that is long-suffering, patient and kind. In addition to securing justice and freedom, IJM also focuses on the mental and physical care of these former slaves by providing them with education and skills to help them integrate back into society. This is a critical component of the IJM model and philosophy of caring for the individual.

Is it Worth it?

The story above took a lot of time, manpower, funds and effort to help ensure justice and freedom for dozens of individuals.

Gary Haugen asked, "Was [it] worth it? Is freedom worth it? If you or I were held as a slave is there someone who would drive to Houston 50 times and spend 6,100 hours in a courthouse for us? This is the long and tedious work of justice that almost no one ever sees. This is a love of a long and faithful kind...and I love it when someone shows it to me."

I had a chance to shake hands and briefly meet with Gary Haugen after the event. Immediately I could sense his sincerity in listening to me, one of dozens waiting to shake his hand, and his dedication to freedom and justice. And for those wondering, his hair is just as awesome in person as it is in the picture.

On my drive home from the event I felt reinvigorated to continue my small efforts to help combat modern slavery. I pondered again the questions that came to my mind when I first learned about slavery in our world today.

What is the worth of a soul?

What is the worth of one individual?

What is the worth of freedom?

What can I do to help?

"Learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
-Isaiah 1:17

You can learn more about IJM at www.ijm.org and show your support through volunteer work and donations.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
- Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Thank You,
John Burger
AbolitionistJB

International Justice Mission Dallas, TX Benefit Dinner

The International Justice Mission is one of the top anti-trafficking organizations in the world and one of my favorite organizations to support and work with. I have been lucky enough to work with them in small capacities on social media campaigns and to see what they do makes me want to go back to law school. Literally, this past week I have been thinking about going back to school to get a law degree because of what IJM is able to accomplish.

I live in the Dallas area and I want to help promote an upcoming IJM Benefit Dinner on May 3rd. If you have the means and the time, I know this will be a wonderful evening and a great experience for all who attend. You will truly be supporting a wonderful cause and organization. Remember, you will need to RSVP by next Tuesday, April, 19th. See the details below.

IJM Dallas Benefit Dinner

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Reception and Registration at 6:30 p.m.

Dinner served at 7 p.m.

The Fairmont Dallas — Regency Ballroom

$100 per person ($25 tax-deductible portion)*

Business or Cocktail Attire

R.S.V.P. by April 19, 2011

www.ijm.org/benefits or 703.740.9923

Featured Speaker Gary Haugen, IJM President and CEO Haugen, a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School, worked in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and was Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations’ genocide investigation in Rwanda prior to founding IJM. Stories of Hope Mila+ was trafficked into prostitution at the age of 12. Now, she’s thriving in aftercare. At the benefit, hear how IJM was able to rescue her, and other stories of freedom made possible by people like you.

* The fair market value of each event ticket is $75 and is not tax-deductible. Any amount over and above the fair market value will be considered a gift to IJM and is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Ticket sales are final and non-refundable. + A pseudonym; real name and casework documentation on file with IJM.