October 30, 2009
MANILA, the Philippines – On September 29, 2009, two child sex traffickers were sentenced to life imprisonment by a regional court for their crimes. This critical prosecution is all the more significant because one of the two perpetrators is the first Philippine police officer to be charged with a trafficking offense. Former police officer Dennis [...]
October 25, 2009
SIEM REAP, Cambodia – For months, rumors had swirled that young girls were being sold for sex in a karaoke bar tucked in the bend of a dirt road in Siem Reap. IJM investigators had been building up a case, but needed critical evidence to prove that minors were being made available to customers.
This September, [...]
October 16, 2009
By Kaign Christy, IJM Director of Operations, Southeast Asia
Two years ago, I came to IJM’s D.C. headquarters to become director of operations for our Southeast Asia field offices after three years as IJM’s field office director in Cambodia. When I return to the field, I am always struck with the sheer magnitude of the obstacles [...]
October 8, 2009
Widowed in 2000, Joyce cared for her and her late husband’s four daughters alone, but was able to provide for the family with the home and assets they had shared. But Joyce became a victim of property grabbing when an acquaintance of her late husband named Maaka John offered to take over the administration of her home and property. She trusted him, and assented when he convinced Joyce to process her late husband’s pension and set up a joint bank account with him. Soon, Joyce discovered that her account had been drained without her knowledge. Maaka also sold a structure on her property, a truck he stole from her and the sugar crop she had grown, giving her only a pittance.
October 5, 2009
In most of its cases on behalf of victims of forced labor slavery, IJM works with public prosecutors to bring slave owners to justice. But in and around Chennai, India, IJM’s staff discovered a recurring problem: Most of these prosecutors – those with the responsibility to pursue convictions in forced labor cases – lacked a basic knowledge of forced labor law and prosecution methods, and many did not understand the brutal nature these crimes.
