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.

Seek Justice @ W&M

The night's almost here. In less than 48 hours, the Seek Justice event will finally reach the campus of William and Mary. This Saturday, October 6, at 7:00 p.m. in Little Theatre (Campus Center basement), Children of the Light Dance Ministries (D.C.) and Feat of Grace (W&M) will give a presentation of dances highlighting the work of our parent organization. Our campus chapter of International Justice Mission will participate through prayer, support and a message during the event.

If you're able to come out, please do. Spread the word. This promises to be a serious opportunity to speak and act on God's heart for the oppressed--and a great chance to worship in a new way.

Check out the Facebook event "Seek Justice" or email njbela@wm.edu if you have any questions.

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.