A note from our Director of Media Relations, Amy Roth - a 3 min video clip you will not want to miss:
*****
For those of you who didn’t see it, ABC World News aired a piece last night featuring Don Brewster and Clayton Butler of AGAPE, our aftercare partners in Cambodia; our client Bella, who has thrived in AGAPE’s loving care; and some powerful IJM undercover footage of Bella, shot by one of our investigators when he first encountered her in the very dark and dangerous Anarchy building.
We’re thrilled to announce that Gregg Helvey’s film, KAVI, just made the short-list for the 2010 Oscars! His film is a 17 minute view into the life of a young boy enslaved in a South Asian brick kiln. It is a film of striking beauty, heartache, and passion… Words truly fail to describe what Gregg has captured.
If you are local to the DC area, I want to make sure you have the opportunity to attend a special screening of this film on Capitol Hill. Gregg Helvey has been invited by Donald Payne and the House Foreign Affairs Committee to show his film Tuesday December 15 at 6pm, and we would be honored if you, as Institute readers and members, would attend as well.
Take a moment to watch the trailer - details for the screening are below:
Where: 2168 Gold Room, Rayburn House Office Building, Capitol Hill, Washington DC. To see a map, please go to http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cc_map.cfm
Just received this video from the student ministries department at Northland: A Church Distributed in Orlando, FL.
In short, they hosted a fundraiser for IJM… via food fight.
Note: they used expired food that was no longer viable for giving to others.
You may have seen coverage of “Operation Twisted Traveler” on many major news outlets this week - this is a significant example of the U.S. Protect Act at work. Evidence provided by IJM investigations was used in the extradition of one of the three American alleged sex tourists arrested in Cambodia and now being brought to trial in the U.S. Below I have copied several examples of the media coverage from the past 2 days - I hope these articles are helpful to you as you learn more deeply and broadly about the nature of sex trafficking, its victims, its perpetrators, and the impact of functioning law systems to overcome this crime:
“Authorities in both countries relied on information provided by Action Pour Les Enfants, a nonprofit group, and the International Justice Mission, human rights agency. Their involvement, Rodley said, marked a breakthrough for Cambodia, which historically has had an uneasy relationship with such organizations because of their criticism of the government.”
“Operation Twisted Traveler is crackdown on U.S. sex tourism in Cambodia. Three men being returned to United States, charged under Protect Act. Suspects convicted of previous sexual offenses in U.S., agency says. They face sentences of 30 years for each alleged victim.
Whether you were able to join us in person for GPG09 or not, you’ll probably enjoy the fantastic photos our team captured throughout the weekend. Ted Haddock is sorting through the thousands and we’ll be sharing the best shots with you here on the blog next week.
In the meantime, check-out the archives from GPG Live - there are photos embedded in some of the live blogging sessions, and some great raw/unproduced video footage of Lamont, Sara Groves, our VP of Investigations, and other speakers. Let us know what you think! http://www.ijminstitute.org/index.php/gpglive
Today we honor a great hero who lived among us and pointed us to a future that most of us could barely even dare to dream of… and many others fought against. President-Elect Obama, in many ways an embodiment of King’s vision, leads our nation today in honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. by declaring this a day of service toward others. Any Institute readers participating in the MLK Day of Service? The official mlkday.gov website is full of helpful information - not too late to get on board! And if you do… leave us a comment - would love to hear.
Or, in the case that you are home-bound today, as am I with a sick little toddler, I invite you to tune-in with me to CNN at noon - CNN will be airing the rarely televised full-length version of MLK’s 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial, known to most of us by its popularly acquired title, “I Have a Dream.” It is not to be missed. Here is a link to watch-it online if you do not get CNN on your television.
Reflections on this day in history? On MLK’s impact on our country, on you personally?
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems.
