Friends, one of our South Asia teams is in the middle of a rescue operation right in these moments. Please pray:
- Safety for the clients and staff
- Cooperation from the government authorities
- Swift and wise decisions to be made
- Freedom, safety, and a place of healing to be given to these girls
Thank you so much for your prayers…
Thank you for your prayers over these past few days for our team in South Asia, the local authorities, the traffickers and brothel keepers, and most especially, the girls who have been enduring such immense suffering. You joined us in fervent prayer for an operation about which we could give you very few details - not the continent, not the timing. But we can now tell you that one of the IJM South Asia teams, in their largest operation to date, secured a landmark victory this weekend.
Early Saturday morning, IJM and the local police in one particular South Asian city conducted simultaneous operations at two brothels, freeing approximately 30 trafficking victims, among them girls as young as 13. The rescued girls and women are now receiving care from IJM social workers.
Seven suspected perpetrators have been taken into police custody, and police have locked the brothels to prevent their re-opening.
Please continue to pray for each of the girls, as well as for the perpetrators.
We are so grateful, beyond what we can even express. Thank you for joining us in this work!
“These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they set an ambush for their own lives.
Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.” -Proverbs 1:18-19
“Unjust gain… takes away the life of its possessors.” Join with me in praying for those who seek unjust gain through the purchase, sale, and pillage of women and girls.
Begin with me tonight in praying for a particular group of brothel owners and traffickers who are harboring, under violence and for the purpose of profitable rape, a large number of women and young girls who desperately desire freedom. Pray that these brothel owners and traffickers would be unaware, despite any covert efforts on anyone’s part, of an impending rescue. Pray that these women and girls would all be securely removed from the brothel and their abusers - all of them - arrested and justly detained. Pray that these women and girls would have courage to tell the truth of what they have endured, and would know the hope of new life and freedom that waits for them.
Because of the particular sensitivity and size of this operation, I will wait to let you know the location and any further details.
But please do pray. We hope to have an update for you next week… but please do not delay in praying, nor back-down from persevering in prayer.
Pray for the women and girls who are suffering greatly this night. Pray for courage and knowledge of God’s presence.
Pray for our staff in this city - they are worn but refusing to relent. Pray for strength and knowledge of God’s presence.
Pray for the local authorities who will execute this operation. Pray for integrity, conviction, and unity.
Pray for those who, by the hand of God, will be brought to justice. Pray that God would turn their heart through this facing of judgment.
The operation in South Asia that we mentioned last week (January 14) has not yet gone forward. A critical meeting with government officials is taking place and will determine the timing for the operation - please pray that this meeting goes smoothly and that the officials will be compelled to act on behalf of the 15+ children who wait to be rescued.
Pray for these 15, suffering more long days and nights under brutal abuse… pray that these days and nights of trauma will quickly be put to an end.
Pray for our staff, that they will have great perseverance and joy in this labor.
There is much on all of our hearts for prayer today… First to mind comes the people of Haiti - along with all those around the world who are relatives of loved ones in Haiti, waiting for news, wondering, feeling helpless and wanting to be able to do something to bring help and hope in the midst of chaos that defies description. Also on our hearts on those who are able to be present and to bring help right now - aid workers, doctors, nurses, faith leaders, government agencies… I definitely recommend choosing an organization to serve as an ambassador for the help you wish you could presently give. Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision, Compassion International, Red Cross, along with many church denomination relief agencies (check UMC (with whom I went to Haiti in 1998), PCUSA, PCA, among many others) are all on the ground and can be trusted to use your funds well.
Have other recommendations? Please leave a note of guidance in the comments.
Also very much on our hearts here at IJM are a few critical operations at hand. I want to bring one to your attention for your prayers tonight. In a South Asian city for whom we have often waged much prayer, there is a rescue operation unfolding tonight, and as is sometimes the case, there are many ways this operation could be thwarted. The lives, dignity, and freedom of approximately 15 children are at stake in this operation. Please pray for:
-shrewd wisdom on the part of our staff team
-excellent collaboration with the authorities
-courage for the children as the operation unfolds
-safety for all involved
What is on your mind and heart tonight - how can we be in prayer?
Friends, as I write this, a trial is beginning in Cambodia to prosecute a man we believe to have trafficked many girls in the town of Svay Pak, Cambodia. If you joined us at this past year’s Global Prayer Gathering, or if you were with us this past Thursday night at the DC Benefit Dinner, you heard our VP of Investigations share testimony, photos, and undercover video footage of this precise case that we have been working on since February.
Please pray, now, throughout the night, and the days ahead as this trial moves forward:
Pray for two of the trafficking victims - one aged 16 and one age 9 - who will be testifying against this man, in person, in this small Cambodia court room. Pray that God would give them extraordinary courage and would use this in their continued healing process.
Pray that no corruption would enter this trial procedure. Pray there would be no delays.
Pray for the man being prosecuted for trafficking crimes - that truth and justice would reign over his life.
Pray that this man would never abuse or exploit another human being again, and that this case would send a strong message to traffickers throughout Cambodia, SE Asia, and the globe.
Please check back for updates - we will post further details as we are able. And click “read more” below for a more indepth description of the trial at hand and specific prayer requests, as written by our social worker in the Cambodia office:
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
When: Tuesday, December 15. 6-8pm.
Please RSVP to . (No ticket necessary, however)
Whenever possible, I like to share with you rescue stories as told by the very people who are daily living on the front lines of our work. Below is a case update sent to me by Crystal Sprague - she has taken this year to give of her skills and serve in a volunteer capacity as one of IJM’s Aftercare Fellows in the Philippines.
Feel free to post any questions you might have for Crystal by using the “comment” feature below - she will be encouraged by the dialogue with you!
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Testimonies of God answering prayer are not uncommon in the work done here in the Cebu office, nor in other IJM field offices around the world. But I don’t always see them or hear about them firsthand. Even when we do not immediately see the answers to our prayers, we continue to persevere in the work because God’s Word speaks of God’s desire that his people fight for justice and uphold the cause of the weak and oppressed.
But the work can be hard—very hard. Even after a rescue, many clients have a very hard time adjusting to their new lives of freedom. Some have been trafficked by family members and can’t go home because they will be pressured to go back into the brothels. Most rescued girls come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect—to teach them that they are worth love and respect is a very long and hard process.
But in just the right timing, God very often brings a breakthrough carrying much needed encouragement; a testimony that reminds us that there is much more going on under the surface than we know or realize; a testimony that gives us a much needed push to continue the fight.
This past weekend IJM assisted a police task force in an anti-trafficking operation against a well known bar with powerful owners. The police did a great job gathering evidence and doing the background investigation, however, the night of the operation didn’t go entirely as hoped.
Friends, I am so thrilled to let you know that we have experienced an unprecedented breakthrough in our work in one of our South Asia anti-sex trafficking offices. If you were with us at the Global Prayer Gathering last spring, you will remember spending an evening focused on the work of justice in a particularly dark and violent city. This week we have experienced an important victory in that city and we believe your work of prayer has been a great catalyst. One of the major figures in that local trafficking network, a particularly violent criminal accused of murder, gang rape, and other forms of deadly brutality, has been arrested. This particular arrest has now resulted in significant information about other key trafficking figures and we expect it will lead to the rescue of many, many more victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Again, this breakthrough is completely unprecedented for our work in this city.
Please continue to join us in earnest prayer for this situation and this place.
- Pray for wisdom and integrity for the local officials as they proceed in this case. They have been inspirational partners to us in this past week and we are so grateful for their collaboration.
- Pray for healing for those victims who are now in aftercare and for rescue for those who still await it.
- Pray that the trafficking network would begin to crumble and this city would experience significant transformation.
- And pray that God would change the hearts of those who intend great evil and harm.
Again we would love to offer our team in this city your prayers and words of encouragement through the comments below.
Friends, thank you for your continued prayers for the remarkably difficult case one of our South Asia teams has been fighting. There are two key pieces of information to give you by way of an update:
Friends, the IJM team in South Asia and around the world has been so strengthened and humbled by your joining us in prayer so wholeheartedly over these past 2 days. Thank you for perservering with us in patient, persistant prayer.
Today was an deeply intense day for the staff and our clients. The six families removed from the rice mill have given testimony to the the enormity of abuse they have suffered; however, official release has not yet been granted by the government.
Official release by the government is an absolutely critical step in the rescue process - it secures the long-term safety of former slaves, guarding them from being retrafficked and ensuring they receive economic restitution to begin their new lives of freedom.
The Weekend to End Slavery has arrived! Tomorrow more than 39,000 people will gather in homes across the world to watch IJM’s new documentary, At the End of Slavery. On Sunday, churches across the nation will preach sermons mobilizing their congregations with the biblical mandate to bring slavery to an end.
Even if you did not order a film+kit in advance, you can still join the live webcast with Gary Haugen. Tune-in to http://www.attheendofslavery.com/weekend-to-end/ at 8pm ET for this opportunity.
We would love to hear your thoughts as you join in the movement this weekend!
We have received stunning photos from our field team from this ongoing rescue operation. We cannot yet share most of the photos with you due to pressing security concerns, but there are three photos I believe will give you a view, however oblique, into the lives of these 23 slaves and the unrelenting fight of our staff.
Here are a few words of narrative from our field team - they let us know, continually, how strengthened they are by your prayers, and how much they continue to need your prayers.
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Over the past few days, our God has answered desperate prayers – from around the world – on behalf of these seven families forced to work as slaves at _______ Rice Mill. He has demonstrated his supernatural power in mighty ways. Let’s continue to pray with confidence to the gracious God we serve, together. Here are a few photos: Part One of an unfinished story of freedom.
Six minutes before IJM arrived with the local authorities for the rescue operation, all of the slaves disappeared from the rice mill compound. IJM staff were confronted upon arrival with the harrowing emptiness of the completely abandoned facility (Photo #1).
Friends, the IJM team in South Asia and around the world has been so strengthened and humbled by your joining us in prayer so wholeheartedly over these past 5 days. Thank you for perservering with us in patient, persistant prayer. It has been a long journey, and it is not yet over.
This past Friday and throughout the weekend was an deeply intense time for IJM South Asia staff and our clients. The seven (total of 23 people) families removed from the rice mill have given testimony to the the enormity of abuse they have suffered; however, official release has not yet been granted by the government.
We just received another update and plea for prayer from our field team in South Asia. The operation that began last night (see earlier blog post) is at a stalemate but absolutely must move forward. Our staff team and the six families who have been in slavery are all at the govenment facility right now and will be there for the rest of the night. Here is how we need for you to pray. And please do leave comments of prayer and scripture to encourage our staff as they persevere through this long night:
The authorities have listened to one of the victim’s testimonies so far. This victim shared of the years of forced labor and the horrible treatment that they had faced at the hands of the owner. The official was visibly moved by the recounting of the story, but there has not been any action yet and we are concerned no action will be taken.
Please pray for:
• Safety of IJM staff & the victims as they spend the night in the gov’t office.
• The government officials, that they would make the right decisions.
• Refreshment for the victims, as they are tired and worn out.
• IJM staff, that they would remain bold and strong.
• The victims to be granted release certificates tomorrow morning.
In the director of this field office’s own words,
“We have a long fight on our hands and we are ready for it.”
Please continue to join me in prayer for them.
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.
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