Displaying items by tag: ijm

In many places, police not only fail to protect people in poverty from violence, but they are violent predators themselves. Millions of the most vulnerable people in the world live in fear of police who extort bribes and brutalise innocent citizens. This has increased during coronavirus curfews. In Kenya it is easy for a corrupt or incompetent police officer to falsely accuse and imprison or even kill an innocent person. As measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, there has been a spike in police abuse while enforcing the night curfew. The government’s independent policing oversight authority has documented at least 35 cases of police brutality in connection to the curfew enforcement, including twelve deaths. Other agencies report at least one death a night in the communities which the justice centres monitor.

The UK’s IJM team have seen God do amazing things as people have cried out to Him in prayer. They report, ‘Covid-19 lockdowns are inadvertently creating the conditions for disturbing increases of abuse in many of the areas where we work. While our teams are doing what they can to protect survivors and find those who are being abused, we must ask God to reach those we are unable to reach, to provide safety, remove fear and bring hope. We believe God is calling for an unprecedented move of prayer. Will you join us? For the next few weeks, we will be praying specifically for those who are #UnsafeInLockdown.’ They are asking intercessors to pray every day for issues which they will spotlight each week. To take part and pray, click the ‘More’ button.

‘Praise God for the compassion and creativity that survivors of bonded-labour and sex-trafficking are showing within their own communities in this season. We are so impressed by many of the survivors we serve who have overcome heart-breaking violence as they offer to distribute food aid, sew face masks, or do anything else they can to help others who are less fortunate. It has been a great surprise and delight for IJM staff to see these women and men grow in leadership and empowerment this way. Pray for their ongoing health and safety, and for God to bless their outreach within their communities.’

Despite having to cancel their annual gala and fundraising dinners, IJM were still able to meet their fundraising target - enough to fund 30 rescues! Please continue to pray for them as they adjust to a new remote working situation, and for their summer festivals team as they work out how to move forward in the light of the cancellation of New Wine - their most important connection-building opportunity of the year - and many other festivals across the UK. Pray for victims of trafficking in the UK as new social distancing laws come into force. The changes in socialising in the UK mean that there will be many people trapped in potentially dangerous situations, and fewer eyes and ears of people around to spot the signs of trafficking in the usual hotspots (nail bars, car washes, etc). As churches are also closed, a key point of contact for vulnerable and potentially trafficked people has been sealed off.

Last week Prayer Alert intercessors praised God for 115 people rescued from bonded-labour slavery in India. This week we can celebrate the release of 204 people, including 41 children, from two large Indian brick kilns in one of their largest ever joint rescue operations. Click the ‘More’ button for the heart-warming story of recovery.

IJM is preparing to launch a Global Survivor Network. It is an opportunity for survivors of slavery to lead and influence policy on human trafficking. On 1 April two survivors, Pachaiyammal and Victoria, will be speaking in Oxford to share their experiences of trafficking and violence against women. Please pray for God to give them peace as they share their stories of freedom from slavery. Please also pray for the logistics of this event, for opportunities to connect with media, and for a global audience so that these survivors' stories are amplified far and wide, bringing change and influencing programming around the world. Also, on Ash Wednesday, IJM launched its #SlaveFreeLent campaign, hoping and praying that this movement would reach further and have more impact than all they could ask or imagine. Praise God, they had 1800+ signups in just a few days, twice as many as in 2019. See also Praise item 3 and

Imagine being on a ship and discovering you had been sold as a slave, not sure if you will ever see your family again. There is a form of human trafficking taking place in the middle of the ocean. Thousands are forced to work in Thailand’s seven-billion-dollar fishing industry, many against their will. They are lured by the promise of a good job, then sold to boat captains who force them to do dangerous work while their families are left to wonder whether they will ever return. Ron was a Cambodian father, husband and family man in dire poverty, barely making $2 a day on his farmland. He was running out of options to feed his family. When someone came to his village, offering better options. Ron took the bait. Too late, he realised he had been sold to a ruthless boat captain in the Thai fishing industry. It is time to bring the fishermen home.

When a woman’s husband dies, her neighbours and family often believe that she no longer has a right to the land. Albertina and her family fled to a refugee camp in Uganda’s brutal civil war. Her husband died there. All Albertina had left was her family and her piece of land. When she returned home, neighbours had stolen her plot and refused to move. For the poor Ugandans, a plot of land is where they farm and keep their family alive. Albertina’s neighbours violently threatened her, so she camped on the edges of her rightful property for the next eight years. Finally another widow told Albertina about International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM pursued her case, provided food for Albertina’s grandchildren, and guarded their hut. The fight for her land continues.

Pray that the new UK government will prioritise efforts to eradicate modern slavery, both in the UK and around the world. Pray that the departments with responsibilities to tackle slavery will be strengthened, and their efforts focused on achieving sustainable change by protecting those who are vulnerable to abuse, and ending impunity. Also let us praise God for the rescue of 24 modern slavery victims in Southwark this week. The 19 adults and five children rescued by police from five different nail bars in London are thought to have been trafficked from Vietnam. They are now being supported by specially-trained officers, and receiving medical care. Pray that God gives them a hope and a blessed future.

Thousands of children aged between three and seventeen live in slavery on Lake Volta, working up to 18 hours a day in the fishing industry. They are paid in daily abuse and threats, and the only way out is to drown or be rescued. Praise God for two convictions when the accused men pleaded guilty to human trafficking. One of them, who used the children for labour on his fishing boat, must also pay a fine or spend an additional year to the five-year sentence if unable to pay. While IJM has previously seen convictions for child labour in Ghana, these are their first for human trafficking, and a significant step toward ending slavery in the fishing industry.