With over 300 screenings of At the End of Slavery and more than 13,000 people who attended, The Weekend to End Slavery was a success in helping to catalyze individuals and communities to fight against this very real injustice.

Here’s a sneak peak into two watch parties that took place over the weekend:

1. Derek Webb and wife Sandra McCracken’s watch party in Nashville, TN:

• Here’s a tweet: “RT @derekwebb: here you go RT @uglymugs: http://twitpic.com/pkg17 – People watching “At the End of Slavery” // AMAZING! Thx so much! ~DL”
• Click for a twitpic of their watch party!

2. One house party in southeast Germany:

• Click for 4 photos from the house party!

If you attended a screening of “At the End of Slavery,” what’s one new fact YOU learned about human trafficking or modern-day slavery?

Did anything said or shown in the film come as a surprise to you?

What is one way you think your community can help end slavery, TODAY?

Please share your comments with us, below.

You can also give us an inside look into the screening you attended by sending a tweet to @IJMHQ with your thoughts and photos. We’d love to get your feedback!

This week, we’re visiting the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid blog, “Ya Basta! Stop Human Trafficking Today.”

According to their Web site, “TRLA provides free civil legal services to low-income and disadvantaged residents of Central, South and West Texas, serving communities within 68 Texas counties – including the entire 1,200 mile Texas-Mexico border. TRLA provides legal assistance to more than 20,000 residents every year.”

The organization also gives trafficking victims the legal and social assistance necessary to help individuals get back on their feet.

To learn more about Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and to read a post highlighting At the End of Slavery, please visit the organization’s blog.

We invite you to take a look at the Soundslides presentation below, which highlights the rescue and ongoing restoration of one formerly enslaved family.

To play, please click the triangular button to the left of the scrubber. Also, if you would like to scroll through the photos at your leisure, please feel free to use the arrows to the right of the scrubber.

Viswanathan is a young boy who, along with members of his family was enslaved in a rock quarry in South Asia where he labored under dangerous conditions.

This inhumane situation reached its tipping point when a local government official enlisted the help of International Justice Mission in order to free Viswanathan and the other slaves.

IJM investigators conducted a reconnaissance mission and determined that the facility was actually two separate but connected quarries controlled by powerful perpetrators – one formerly a state-level politician.

Avoiding a tip-off required sweeping, yet precise, simultaneous operations at both quarries. The perpetrators were dangerous, and the plan was logistically challenging, but it worked. In coordinated dual operations, IJM and local authorities rescued 13 families from slavery. Today, the families – including Viswanathan’s – live in freedom.

For more stories of hope, please click here.

To read the stories of two former sex slaves, learn more about modern-day slavery and to see how the work of one young filmmaker is helping to combat injustice, please check out the links below.

Huffington Post: Diary of an escaped sex slave

“You think slavery went out with Abraham Lincoln? Ask my friend Sreypov Chan about that. She’s a cute young Cambodian woman with a love for Kelly Clarkson songs and Tom & Jerry cartoons. But when she was seven years old, her mom sold her into sexual slavery…This month, Marie Claire published Sreypov’s story, along with a photo essay of her work inside one of Phnom Penh’s most notorious brothels.”

Image courtesy of Phnom Penh Post

Phnom Penh Post: Former sex slave wins 2009 Freedom Award

“Sex slave-turned-activist Sina Vann received the Frederick Douglass Award at the 2009 Freedom Awards in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Awarded to those who have survived a form of slavery and are actively helping the lives of others, the Frederick Douglass Award provides US$10,000 to help facilitate current work and another $10,000 as a personal reward.”

Xinhua News: UN reports human trafficking as under-detected crime worldwide

“Human trafficking has become a serious and under-detected crime all around the world, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported on the EU anti-trafficking day. The relevant figure showed that currently, about 2.7 million people worldwide were victims of human trafficking, who were engaged in prostitution, begging, or high-intensity labor in tough conditions, including 1.2 million children victims.”

GulfNews.com: Gregg Helvey’s Kavi highlights modern-day slavery

“This year’s Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) not only showcased blockbuster and independent movies from around the world, but also ensured that films highlighting important issues were given their moments to shine. One such movie is Kavi, a short film by Gregg Halvey, which addresses the issue of modern-day slavery, told through the eyes and experiences of the main character, who lends his name to the title of the film.”