Daniel Granger: International Justice Mission (IJM)

I am a proud supporter of the International Justice Mission, a human
rights agency that works to promote justice for victims of violent
oppression, including slavery and sexual exploitation. IJM combines the
work of lawyers, aftercare professionals, and investigators to approach
the goals from all aspects, ensuring that the victim is rescued, that
perpetrators are prosecuted, and that the community’s public justice
systems are strengthened.

Since its inception in 1997, IJM has responded to the need for restraint
of violent oppressors who prey on vulnerable populations. In the past,
humanitarian organizations provided vital services, such as health care,
education, and food, to impoverished people around the world, but they
were unable to stop the rampant violence in some regions. A number of
lawyers, human rights workers, and public officials conducted a
comprehensive, landmark study of over 65 aid organizations representing
more than 40,000 international development workers. In the survey
disseminated, volunteers and staff acknowledged the presence of
government and police brutality but reported lacking the resources and
expertise needed to confront the abusers. Gary Haugen, United States
Department of Justice lawyer and United Nations’ Investigator in Charge
after the Rwandan genocide, officially formed IJM in 1997 to assist in
combating the problem. IJM now encompasses over 300 professionals
striving to fight injustice in 12 countries around the world.

IJM mainly functions through individual casework, exposing abuse against
widows, orphans, children, and other groups. Operating under the belief
that violence is not perpetrated because of the power of aggressors,
but because of the vulnerability of victims, IJM strives to empower
victims through the law. In this way, further violence is discouraged,
and residents are given confidence that the law and justice will protect
them. Through its casework, IJM is able to collaborate directly with
functioning public justice systems and advocates for victims in specific
instances of oppression.