Sep 1, 2016The Long Road HomeA 14-year-old went on summer vacation and was taken as a slave. Last week, her own mother went to jail for it. An inside look at sex trafficking in the Dominican Republic and how to end it. — Liana* put on clothes, her body moving faster than her mind. “I could escape,” was her only thought. It had dawned slowly on the 14-year-old that she was alone in the house that had become her prison. The woman who enslaved her there, who brought countless men to rape her…Human Trafficking20 min readHuman Trafficking20 min read
Mar 8, 2016Elsa’s Story: Slavery Does Not Define HerToday on International Women’s Day, we celebrate Elsa,* a survivor of sex trafficking who chose to share her story on behalf of the millions of girls and women who are still in slavery. — If you want to describe a survivor of sex trafficking in one word, use Elsa’s: Strong. Just to imagine the nightmare Elsa lived will require strength. Night after night, men paid Elsa’s boss to take her away to their hotel rooms. They could do anything they wanted to her there…Human Trafficking6 min readHuman Trafficking6 min read
Feb 5, 2016Transformation: CambodiaHow one country’s progress on child sex trafficking can give the world hope for an end to slavery. — “Abusers once trumpeted Cambodia as the place to purchase young children for sex with impunity, a place where the justice system was so dysfunctional, so absent, that people could exploit the vulnerable without fear or shame.” — Christa Sharpe, former Field Office Director, IJM Cambodia Cambodia was once viewed by…Human Trafficking9 min readHuman Trafficking9 min read
Jul 13, 2015Cindi’s Herd of HelpersHow a shattering moment became an unlikely dream. — Seven years ago, Cindi Wolk sat in her sunny Tennessee kitchen, laid her head on the hardwood table and sobbed. She tearfully set aside Just Courage, a book by Gary Haugen, president of International Justice Mission. …Women5 min readWomen5 min read
Apr 21, 2015This is what we’ve been missing in the fight to end global povertyGary Haugen’s TED Talk tells how everyday violence is undermining development, and what we can do about it. Photo: Bret Hartman/TED In March 2015, IJM President and Founder Gary Haugen delivered a talk on the TED2015 stage in Vancouver, Canada. His message? There’s a reason that so many are…9 min read9 min read
Mar 20, 2015Ambushed & AfraidWhy widows in Uganda need a new solution from the world. — Benedeta’s hands lay broad and calloused across her granddaughter’s little belly, telling much more of her story than her shy voice ever would.Africa7 min readAfrica7 min read
Jan 25, 2015WEF 2015: Improving the State of the World…for whom?By Gary Haugen — In the midst of a busy week at the World Economic Forum (WEF) I found myself reflecting on WEF’s slogan of “Improving the State of the World.” While that is a very ambitious statement, in the past few days I have experienced tangible proof that there is indeed progress toward…Culture5 min readCulture5 min read
