Washington – Com 121 Spring 2010

International Justice Mission (IJM) is a Christian affiliated, human rights agency that works with cases of slavery, sex trafficking, property seizure, police brutality, and illegal detention. While the global organization was founded in 1997 with its headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Furman Chapter of IJM was founded four years ago. Perhaps IJM’s most unique characteristic is that the personnel that rescue victims, work under the justice system of that country, as the agency’s goal is to co-exist in the nation, serving the people perhaps even despite corrupt governments. Additionally, IJM works heavily in providing aftercare for victims of slavery and sex trafficking.

Furman IJM Chapter’s primary goal is to spread awareness to students about global issues, specifically through Cultural Life Programs (CLPs). Several examples of the more recent panels include: The School of the Americas, Faces of Homelessness, Burma and the International Criminal Court, and Photography and Social Justice. The group is made up of mainly fifteen strongly committed members.

When speaking with the Acting President, Junior Sarah Grace Brooks, she said, “The most rewarding part of working with IJM at Furman has certainly been the relationships with people in the organization. Through the time of prayer at each meeting we are able to see the bigger picture, and hopefully through our work we can inform students of social injustices so there is a hope of beginning to correct them.”

Be sure to look out for events hosted by IJM in the next week, as it Justice Week on campus. Learn more about the issues with which IJM deals each day of Justice Week.

Justice Week Schedule:

Monday, March 29: Slavery and Sex Trafficking

Tuesday, March 30: Police Brutality and Property Seizure

Wednesday, March 31: Fair Trade v. Free Trade; Justice Celebration

Students (from left to right) Sarah Crane, Kathryn Bundy, Caroline McTeer, Bill Mitchell, and Laura Armstrong

Human trafficking is an issue that most Americans do not face on a daily basis, and so often, because of that, it gets brushed under the carpet when politicians come up with their lists of issues to address to appease the general public. So, have you ever wondered who the people are who speak up for the voiceless victims of human trafficking? You can find them on our very own campus.

The Furman Chapter of IJM, as discussed in my next post, along with the South Carolina Chapter of Not for Sale hosted Furman students, Laura Armstrong, Sarah Crane, and Caroline McTeer in lobbying for anti-human trafficking legislation in Washington, D.C. in the beginning of March.

The group visited state representatives, encouraging them to sign off on the language used in the Customs Reauthorizations Bill (S 1631). The bill works towards cutting off American financial support of products that are produced by the hands of modern day slaves. Essentially, in the current verbiage of the bill, goods that have been produced in other countries by trafficked slaves will no longer be accepted as import goods into the United States. The bill eliminates the demand for these goods at the source of funding.

Senior Laura Armstrong says that after speaking with representatives in D.C. she realizes how accessible the government is when confronted by the public. “They seemed especially excited to hear from students.” In some cases, when the topic of human trafficking arises, certain representatives, including some from South Carolina, are clear that they will not spend time or money on the issue, however, because the group was solely requesting signatures to support the current language of the bill and no funds would be needed, there is little reason for representatives to be anything but receptive.

Hear more from Laura Armstrong: Interview

View pictures from the D.C. trip

Special thanks to Sarah Crane for photos and Laura Armstrong for the interview

Tag: Washington

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