IJM investigator with rescued victims

As you saw – or will see – in At the End of Slavery, the work of IJM’s investigators can be dangerous. But, it is a core component to IJM’s four-fold purpose:

1. Victim Relief

2. Perpetrator Accountability

3. Victim Aftercare

4. Structural Transformation

You may have further questions on the motives, fears, hopes and work of IJM’s investigators, so we would like to offer you an opportunity to go even further undercover with these brave men and women.

If you would like to hear what makes IJM’s VP of Investigations, Jeff Blom, do this dangerous and life-changing work, please click here.

If you would like to see a photo/audio slide show that highlights the work of IJM’s investigators around the world, please do so here.

Did anything you heard stand out to you? Please share your thoughts with us, below.

BBC – Bangalore baby allegedly rented out to beggars to net cash

“Child welfare officials are investigating the case of a baby who was reportedly rented out to beggars in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. The nanny reportedly told the parents she would ‘rent’ the baby for 100 rupees ($2) a day to beggars who attract more sympathy with an infant. She was found out when the mother came home early to find her child missing.”

NYUNews.com – Michael Bloomberg, actress Emma Thompson open ‘provocative’ exhibit on sex trafficking

“Many people know Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee or Professor Sybil Trelawney from the Harry Potter films. But yesterday the British actress took a break from film and joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYU President John Sexton outside the Silver Center to open an art installation intended to raise awareness about sex trafficking.”

“The exhibition, titled ‘Journey,’ is installed inside seven industrial crates, set up on the south side of Washington Place. Each crate takes viewers through a range of emotions that sex slaves feel throughout their journey, ranging from hope to desperation.”

AP – US officials initiate new push against human trafficking

“Fourteen cities are being targeted in a new campaign aimed at alerting people about human trafficking, federal immigration officials have announced.”

“The ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ initiative, sponsored by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, features billboards highlighting ‘the horrors and the prevalence of human trafficking,’ which the agency says is equivalent to ‘modern-day slavery.’”

Ria Novosti – Russia’s Federal Security Service detains 14 suspected human traffickers

“Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained, in cooperation with the Investigation Committee and foreign law enforcement bodies, 14 suspected human traffickers, the service reported Tuesday. The FSB said it had prevented the activities of ‘an organized criminal group that traded in humans for a long time using channels of illegal migration to Western Europe.’”

The Examiner: More than 700 arrested and 50 children rescued in sting

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the rescue of 50 children who were the victims of child prostitution- here, in the United States. 700 other suspects were also arrested, including 60 pimps, on state and local charges over the weekend. The FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and state and local law enforcement agencies contributed to the sting known as Operation Cross Country IV.

Blogomonster.com: NBC Dateline’s IJM feature exposes blogger to sex slavery

One blogger writes about sex slavery and how they first became aware of the issue.  They write, “I first became aware of the issue of human trafficking after watching a special on Dateline NBC. The program featured the work of the International Justice Mission (IJM.org), a faith-based human rights agency that seeks to free victims of human trafficking and prosecute the perpetrators. I was horrified by the issue of sexual exploitation and bonded labor. The staggering statistics broke my heart.”

The Business Mirror: Lawyers step up drive vs. human traffickers

Lawyers in the Philippines, including International Justice Mission’s Andrew Sawchenko, are hoping to put more people suspected of criminal exploitation in jail as they continue to crackdown on trafficking within the region.

Sawchenko said, “Since 2007, there has been a huge upswing in the cases filed, and we are looking forward to convictions as we need to establish that there is a significant risk so the people involved in trafficking will have a difficult business decision.”

BBC: Lords consider ’slavery’ offenses

A New parliamentary bill amendment, which aims to protect those being held under practices of servitude and forced labor, is going before the House of Lords in the UK.

Aidan McQuade, from Anti-Slavery International, said: “Forced labor will remain a reality in the UK unless adequate legislation is put in place and enforced…. The existing legal provisions fail to protect victims or ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice.”

KCAU-TV (ABC): UNL wants to become center for human trafficking research

Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln want to become the new center for research on human trafficking.  Marketing professor Dwayne Ball points out that trafficking is a problem found worldwide, including Nebraska.