Standing Against Child Trafficking with IJM

This World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (30 July), International Justice Mission (IJM) is shining a light on one of the world’s darkest realities — the exploitation of children in the sex trade — and inviting Australians to respond.

Key points:

“There are an estimated 50 million people around the world in modern slavery,” CEO of IJM Australia David Braga told Hope 103.2. “Of those, the estimate is that 7 million are in forced sexual exploitation. One of the particular focuses we have is that sexual exploitation — particularly of children.”

IJM is working across the globe to bring protection to those in vulnerable communities. “We’ve completed our work in nine program countries, and in eight of those we’ve seen reductions in the crime by between 72 and 85%,” he said. “That’s 12 million people who were once vulnerable — now protected — because the justice system is working the way we think it should.”

There are around 50 million people around the world in modern slavery, with an estimated 7 million of these in forced sexual exploitation.

A key part of that work is confronting child sex trafficking in one of IJM’s newest programs in South Asia. “In that particular area, the estimate is that between 20% and 50% of the sex workers are actually children,” David shared. “That means potentially 40,000 to 100,000 children are being sold for sex on any given day.”

David didn’t shy away from the confronting reality: “Our initial investigations in that area showed that 100% of the places our investigators went, you could have had children offered to you for sex. We just think that’s horrific. It needs to be brought to a stop.”

“We’ve completed our work in nine program countries, and in eight of those we’ve seen reductions in the crime by between 72 and 85%.”

But amidst the weight of this injustice, there is hope.

“The good news is that the government there agrees and wants us to start dealing with the harm that’s going on in that environment,” David said. “And we’ve already trained over 50 local police officers in victim care and trafficking prevention.”

IJM’s mission is deeply rooted in Christian faith. “We’re fully motivated by bringing about God’s work of transformation in the world. He does see [the injustice], He does hear it, and He wants us to act against it,” David said.

“We just see [our mission] as a vital way of showing the world who our God really is… that He hears them and sees them and will act for them.”

David explained that while IJM doesn’t proselytise, they do everything as an expression of God’s justice. “We just see it as a vital way of showing the world who our God really is… that He hears them and sees them and will act for them.”

His invitation to Australians was clear: “We can’t do this alone. We would love people to join us in that mission of showing God’s character in the world.”

Feature image: canvapro