Alternative Gift Fair

International Justice Mission will host the third annual Alternative Gift Fair, a gathering that will feature numerous charitable campus groups and outside vendors selling unique gifts to support their individual causes and projects. Stop by UC Tidewater A any time between 4 and 8 p.m. to see what they've got. This is your chance to shop for family and friends while knowing that the money you spend will be used where it is needed most.

Organizations represented include: Maasai American Student Association, Students for Fair Trade, Students Helping Honduras, Global Village Project, W&M Habitat, Tidewater Labor Support Committee, Project Mexico, Nothing but Nets and Developing Tomorrow: Destination China, with a few more campus groups and outside vendors expected.

Williamsburg Uninhabitable (for many)

The week before Thanksgiving break, members of IJM conducted an affordable housing calling campaign targeting the members of the Williamsburg City Council. With the support of the Williamsburg chapter of the Virginia Organizing Project, we focused on the city's purchase of and plans for the property formerly occupied by the Tioga Motel on Richmond Road. While the city did address the immediate needs of those living on the property in the months following its closing of the motel, we hope that the members of the local government will work to include affordable housing in their plans for the recently purchased property.

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For more information on affordable housing in Williamsburg/James City County, check out this flyer published last year by Williamsburg VOP.

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The William and Mary campus chapter of International Justice Mission will meet with the mayor of Williamsburg this Thursday. Please keep this meeting in your prayers, as all involved are interested in promoting the best interests of those living and working in the city and beyond. The conversation will continue in the future, and we hope to see real change in the realm of affordable housing here in Virginia.

LOCAL, INTERNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION BUILDS PERPETRATOR ACCOUNTABILITY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

An IJM investigation in conjunction with local police has prompted the arrest of an American for his abuse of a minor in the Philippines. The 43-year-old man, a convicted sex offender in the U.S., is accused of sexually abusing a Filipina adolescent over a three-year period, beginning when the victim was 14.

IJM investigative staff in the Philippines received a tip that an American expatriate had habitually sexually abused a young teen for over three years and had gone so far as to illegally “marry” the victim when she was 15 in an attempt to legitimate his abuse. After preparing an initial investigation report, IJM worked closely with Philippine and U.S. authorities to locate the perpetrator under the auspices of the PROTECT Act, the U.S. law that makes sexual offenses committed against minors abroad by American citizens punishable in U.S. courts. Presented with documentation of the suspect’s sexual abuse of a minor, the Philippines Bureau of Immigration issued an order for his arrest in June.

However, the suspect was tipped off that police were looking for him and subsequently fled to an island several hours away. Despite his attempts at evasion, IJM investigators were able to track him down and resume surveillance. With confirmation that he was still at large, the Bureau of Immigration worked in collaboration with local police to arrest him.

After his arrest, the suspect and investigators traveled nearly five hours to return to the immigration office police station, where he was booked into immigration custody pending deportation.

In September, the suspect was deported to the U.S., where he was arrested upon arrival and charged under the PROTECT Act.

“These cases are critically important to demonstrate to pedophiles that there are no ‘safe harbors’ left in the world for the sexual exploitation of children,” explains IJM Southeast Asia Director Kaign Christy.

The victim has been placed in a safe aftercare home, where she is doing well. She is taking tutorial classes to prepare for her upcoming educational exams and will enroll in computer training courses.

CASEWORK BRIEFING: MILESTONE SENTENCE IMPOSED ON SLAVE OWNER IN INDIA

In a landmark conviction in India last month, a man guilty of holding six people in slavery was sentenced to one year in prison and assessed a fine of 900 rupees. This sentence culminates a legal process that began four years ago, when an IJM investigation resulted in police intervention on behalf of six victims held as slaves in the perpetrator’s business, a snack stand.

In India, perpetrator accountability for slavery remains extremely rare, despite stiff penalties for the crime mandated by law. Slave owners are rarely tried, and when they are brought to trial, they receive token sentences of a few hours for this human rights abuse. This one-year sentence for slavery is a major victory as the tide of opposition to slavery grows in India.

The victims had been enslaved since childhood and suffered physical and verbal abuse, working in conditions so severe that one laborer reportedly died as a result. Since their release from slavery, the former slaves have received rehabilitation assistance from the government and have succeeded in supporting their families and pursuing stable livelihoods. They remain in contact with IJM’s aftercare staff, who report that the former slaves are overjoyed that justice has been served in their case and that their perpetrator has been held accountable for his actions.