International Justice Mission – No Ordinary People
Did you know there are 27 million slaves in the world?
This week, InterVarsity Bruin Christian Fellowship (IVBCF) had an event called “No Ordinary People.” It was about human trafficking, and today I went to the last session. Yes, I actually went out to UCLA on the other side of town. My friend Jacky gave me a ride out, and I got a ride back with Rachel and Eric.
Though they also tied it in with the gospel message and had “Deal or No Deal?” and a raffle, the main attraction was a speaker from International Justice Mission, or IJM. It was a very interesting talk, in which he told us about personal stories of young women and children who were stuck in slavery or jail.
There are 27 million slaves in the world. Many of these people are in southern Asia. For many of them, illegal crimes are being committed against them. But they are stuck because nobody is standing up for them. They have no advocate.
That’s what IJM has changed. We can, and IJM does, actually free these people. They desperately need freedom, but due to circumstances often beyond their control, they are forced into prostitution, child labor, jail, and so on.
In the case of one woman who was jailed for 2 years despite not committing a crime, all she needed was for people to ask the right questions. “Why is she here?” “What crime has she committed?” After 5 days, she was released– given freedom, one of the greatest rights we have in the U.S.– after being in jail for two years.
It was good because I got to see church friends like Andrew W., Robert G., and Natalie Q. Since I’m always short on time, I was very concerned that I might’ve made the wrong decision to go to the event, but I made the right choice.
Hi Elliot, Thanks for this post, getting people out of slavery faces two main obstacles – getting the word out and getting the resources we need to actually bring people to freedom. IJM is a great outfit, we partner with them on campaigns. You can also find information about modern slavery on our website – http://www.freetheslaves.net – along with teaching materials and films (one about slavery in America today) you can watch online. BTW the 27 million figure comes from my book, Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy.
All best, Kevin Bales
Thanks for coming out to support us.
:)
It was a really exhausting but fruitful week, to say the least. It was amazing to see how God worked on campus when we gave him and encouraged others to give him some room.