Guatemala Initiative

This year, along with our continued advocacy efforts at William and Mary, in the United States and abroad, the W&M chapter of International Justice Mission will raise $1,000 for a program run by our Washington, D.C., parent organization.

Our contribution will be combined with those of other campus chapters around the country to send SANE(Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)-trainers to Guatemala to train nurses to properly gather evidence from victims of rape. This will increase prosecutions and convictions of offenders in a country where many go free thanks to antiquated, medically inaccurate policies.

More information on the program can be found in this packet distributed by International Justice Mission headquarters in D.C.

We hope to host several fundraisers in the upcoming months. Ideas can be sent to njbela@wm.edu or brought to one of our meetings (Tuesdays, Tucker 202, 7:30 p.m.).

We especially ask for prayers for those who have suffered and who are suffering from the injustices of the criminal court system of Guatemala. Pray for healing, and that our efforts might be a part of that healing.

FIRST PERSON: IJM SOCIAL WORKER REFLECTS ON CAMBODIAN EXPERIENCE

IJM Cambodia Director of Aftercare Christa Hayden takes you into her work in Southeast Asia

I am sitting on the hard tile floor of a Cambodian jail cell, trying unsuccessfully to light a mosquito coil while wiping sweat out of my eyes, shooing ants away and swatting at mosquitoes. It has been two years since I graduated with my master’s degree in social work. I definitely cannot remember any of my professors lecturing on mosquito management in Southeast Asia! However, I have three small teachers with me in this jail cell, and they all pitch in to show me the fine art of keeping a mosquito coil lit and balanced on its tiny metal tray.

My wise teachers are actually three Cambodian girls, ages nine, 10 and 12, whom we helped rescue tonight from sexual slavery. International Justice Mission investigators and Cambodian national police worked together to free these children from months of torture, forced drug use, rape and pornography at the hands of a foreign pedophile and the local female traffickers in his employment.

In Cambodia, IJM’s mission is to mobilize efforts to suppress systems of commercial sexual exploitation of minors in Cambodia through assisting investigations and prosecutions, and by training Cambodia’s anti-human trafficking police. My aftercare colleagues and I work together to welcome children upon their rescue, provide crisis care while they undergo police interviews and partner with governmental social service officials to place the children in aftercare homes that provide specialized care for sexual violence survivors. After placement, we monitor the children’s recovery, prepare them to testify at trial and act as a professional resource to our aftercare partners.

At this moment, our aftercare intern is creating a sense of normalcy and play for the children as they spend the evening coloring, teaching each other songs and decorating the gray walls with colorful stickers. She is sprawled on a mat on the hard floor, drawing pictures with the two youngest rescued girls, an activity that can cross any language barrier. The girls are teaching our intern some basic Khmer words and they break into uncontrollable giggles when they hear her use the Cambodian language. The oldest child and one of my Cambodian colleagues are intently talking in a corner of the room about the child’s experiences, pain, feelings, fears and hopes; tears flow, hands are held, and conversation is often interrupted by times of emotional silence. A small space of release, freedom and acceptance has been created in the middle of a police station.

For the next three days, my teammates and I will take turns staying day and night at the police station with these three girls throughout their interviews, as this time is critical to documenting their case so that authorities can effectively prosecute their abusers. These children’s young lives have already been filled with violence, torture and betrayal beyond imagination. Shame, exhaustion, grief, loss and confusion fill their hearts and minds, and seep out through their tears as they talk with us and go through interviews with the police. The most important priority of these first few days is to provide the children with a sense of safety, hope and rest. The long road of healing and restoration will continue as the girls are placed in a loving, high-quality aftercare home.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve these children, work in this country with passionate Cambodian teammates and partner with innovative and committed aftercare organizations. International social work has challenged me to provide care with more adaptability and flexibility, trained me to think more broadly and creatively, and has sharpened my professional skills and cross-cultural competency. The lessons I have learned in Cambodia fill me with passion, energy and a renewed commitment to serving the hurting and the oppressed around the world. It is an honor to know these children and a joy to walk with them as they begin the long journey toward healing and wholeness.

These reflections first appeared in a different form in Catalyst, the newsletter of the North American Association of Christians in Social Work.

FREEDOM SECURED FOR VICTIM OF WRONGFUL IMPRISONMENT IN KENYA

Dalton* worked as a night watchman at a housing complex. When he noticed early one morning that the vehicle belonging to one of the residents was missing, he knocked on the owner’s door to alert him. Because Dalton had recently needed to remind this particular resident of some of the rules of the housing complex, the man still harbored a grudge from their earlier conversation and did not take kindly to his appearance. Upon searching the complex with the owner and determining definitively that the vehicle was not there, Dalton went to the police station to report the theft. The vehicle’s owner, frustrated at the loss and still angry with Dalton, made the unsubstantiated allegation that perhaps Dalton himself had taken the vehicle. After his initial report, Dalton returned to the police station to make a second report. During this second visit to the police station, the policewoman taking his report alleged that he was lying, likely upon the suggestion of the vehicle’s owner. On these grounds, Dalton was thrown in a cell and charged with the offense of stealing the vehicle. He was told by the police that the only way for him to get out of jail was to produce the vehicle himself. On the basis of an empty accusation made in anger, Dalton was trapped in jail.

Upon discovering Dalton’s case, IJM Kenya was determined to see him released. IJM lawyers met with the owner of the vehicle, who informed them that he had been told that Dalton was released from police custody upon providing his report. His anger over his previous confrontation with Dalton had cooled; he was very surprised to hear that Dalton was being held in jail and explained to IJM investigators that he had pressed no charges against Dalton and did not believe that he should be held in prison.

Dalton’s lawyer persisted in advocating for his right to a fair trial, even as the court date was repeatedly canceled and changed for reasons from holiday celebrations to prosecution witnesses who didn’t bother to show up. With each delay, Dalton’s imprisonment stretched on, despite the fact that the prosecution had never presented a single piece of evidence to actually connect him with the theft of the vehicle.

While his lawyer worked to ensure that Dalton was given the opportunity to defend himself against the false charge, the IJM Kenya aftercare team also made sure that his wife and three children received support. Staff members ensured that his children were able to continue with school and that his wife, understandably distraught at her husband’s imprisonment, received counseling.

Finally, at a rescheduled hearing, the magistrate called Dalton and his IJM lawyer into his chambers and told them that his judgment was not yet complete and that he would reschedule his verdict. Dalton’s advocate was not ready to see this innocent man shackled and led back to jail after another fruitless court date. He was able to persuade the magistrate to complete the judgment as scheduled.

That afternoon, Dalton was acquitted. When he pronounced the ruling, the magistrate stated that there was absolutely no evidence linking Dalton with the theft. His papers were processed and he was able to leave court without handcuffs for the first time in over a year. Dalton’s sister, who was in attendance at the hearing, said to the IJM staff present, “We are grateful for all the work that went into this. Thanks to IJM for their involvement.” When Dalton left the courtroom, he was a free man. After 13 months of separation and injustice, he has returned to his wife and his children.

HUNDREDS OF ZAMBIANS IMPACTED BY IJM TRAININGS: KNOWLEDGE OF LEGAL RIGHTS EMPOWERS CITIZENS

"Just four days after [IJM Zambia] conducted a workshop here, people have started reporting sexual offenses to my office.”—Zambian government official

Hundreds of Zambians have equipped themselves to fight injustice in their communities by attending IJM’s legal training sessions this year. Many Zambians victimized by illegal property seizure and sexual assault are unaware of the laws designed to protect them. IJM’s Zambia office is fighting to change this: Since the beginning of this year, more than 1500 individuals have attended IJM Zambia’s trainings on property rights and sexual violence.

Land and property are often stolen from a widow by men in the extended family following the death of her husband. Despite the fact that this property theft is a criminal act according to Zambian law, property seizure is often viewed by the community as a family matter rather than a crime. Not only is property seizure illegal, it is also devastating for its victims, who can lose their spouses, their homes, and their livelihoods in rapid succession. Possessing property or land – and thereby a means of income and shelter - can literally be a matter of life or death in Zambia.

At these trainings, IJM staff present on the law of succession, which states that widows have the right to at least a portion of their deceased husbands’ property. Knowing that they are entitled to their own property empowers widows within their communities and in their interactions with potential perpetrators.

The trainings also educate community members on the Zambian laws relating to sexual violence. These sessions are making a tangible impact on the reporting of sexual crime in the communities where they have been held. This summer, in an article in the Zambian newspaper The Post, a local government official gave evidence to this fact, stating that his community knows the importance of reporting sexual offenses to the appropriate governmental authorities because IJM staff conducted a training there. “Just four days after [IJM Zambia] conducted a workshop here, people have started reporting sexual offenses to my office,” he explained.

Training sessions have also been an important tool in deepening IJM Zambia’s partnership with local police – enabling the two groups to work together to ensure that vulnerable members of their communities have access to the protections of law enforcement. This summer, IJM Zambia held its first official police training, attended by officers of the Zambian Police. The training provided the opportunity for officers and IJM staff to discuss the concerns of Zambian citizens in regards to sexual violence and illegal land and property seizure. The event was notably attended by a senior court justice official, who expressed his commitment to upholding the rights of widows and encouraged the officers gathered there to pursue these cases.

By educating themselves about the laws that affect their lives and livelihoods, attendees work with IJM to create structural changes in their communities that will uphold rights of widows and children. Pamela Mumbi, director of IJM Zambia, reports, “What a joy it is to see the look of relief on many of the women’s faces when they learn that the law protects them and the orphans against property grabbing and against sexual violence. To have someone in the flesh teach them the law and tell them they can access that justice for free is often overwhelming. We are set to have more of these trainings on a regular basis in different compounds in our city, and to different classes or groups of people within the compounds. Lives are being changed.”