Pray for Race to Rescue this weekend!

June 26, 2021

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

– Colossians 3:12

Africa & Europe

Pray for the IJM Kenya team as this week marked five years since the murder of our colleague, Willie; his client, Josephat; and their driver, Joseph. The four police officers and one civilian charged in the case are still on trial. Pray for the family members of the three men as they grieve. Pray also for the incoming Chief Justice who has pledged to reduce the amount of time that trials in Kenya take before concluding.

Latin America

Praise God for the opportunity to walk with nearly 40 survivors of violence across the Latin America region as they participated in IJM’s first-ever “Public Narrative: Advocacy and the Power of Story” training. Without a doubt, survivors bring a uniquely powerful and credible voice in calling those in power to action. In this training, survivors from Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Guatemala gathered virtually to learn a new storytelling structure to use in public settings and are now empowered to harness their own stories in the service of leading others to action. Pray for these survivors as they apply what they learned and call on different actors in their communities to stand up to protect the most vulnerable.

South Asia

Praise God for a rescue operation this week that freed a young family (including 4 children) from bonded labor. One of our partners first discovered the 11-year-old son being forced to work at a sheep farm, and then by interviewing him learned that the whole family was in bondage at a nearby brick kiln. Many families like theirs are being left vulnerable due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of dignified work. Pray for IJM and our partners as we protect other vulnerable communities, and pray for this family as they begin recovering in freedom.

Southeast Asia

Please pray for the IJM Malaysia team as they work to schedule meetings with key government partners. Pray specifically for positive discussions that swiftly lead to plans to take action.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM global headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has Partner Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Praise God that Race to Rescue is this weekend and is already off to a great start! Pray for joyful participation and safety for everyone racing. Also pray for great fellowship among those who have formed teams and are racing together. And pray that through this event and the sacrificial efforts of all our racers, more people will learn about IJM's mission and be moved to join the fight to end trafficking and slavery.

Praise God for an arrest in Uganda

June 19, 2021

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

– Ephesians 6:12

Africa & Europe

Praise God for the persistence of IJM investigators and police in tracking down and arresting a suspect in Uganda who had skipped bail. The man is suspected of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the survivor had been unable to attend court and the case was nearly dropped. With this re-arrest, we are praying that when restrictions ease in July the court case can proceed without delays.

Latin America

Continue praying for the Latin America region as COVID-19 is hitting several countries with a third wave. Pray for healing for those currently battling for their lives due to the virus, and for strength and stamina for people on the frontlines working within overwhelmed hospitals and health systems that are struggling to provide oxygen, medicine or even enough ICU beds. Pray for wisdom for governments officials so they find ways to support and protect their people, especially families who have lost their income due to lack of jobs or health, or who are employed but do not have enough to pay for the medical treatments their loved ones need. Finally, continue praying for the most vulnerable, women and children, who in addition to the pandemic are experiencing many situations of violence at home. Pray that they will not lose hope and they would receive the help they need.

South Asia

Please continue to pray for comfort and peace for our South Asian staff who continue to lose loved ones to COVID-19. The situation is improving in many cities and more people are able to get vaccinated, but so many communities are still struggling. Pray especially for one staff member who has lost her mother, father and aunt in just a few weeks. Pray for an end to this pandemic, and for endurance for all of these families still living in its midst.

Southeast Asia

Please pray for the IJM Philippines team as they prepare for their Aftercare Research Launch. This launch will coincide with the week of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (July 30, 2021), and is in partnership with Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). Please pray that the recommendations in this research on effective aftercare practices for survivors of online sexual exploitation will swiftly help address current gaps in aftercare and advance the work of providing the best care for our clients.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM global headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has Partner Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Praise the Lord that IJM gets the opportunity to present at the Promise Keepers convention held for men across the United States to come together and grow in their walks with the Lord. Pray that the individuals in attendance would really connect with the heart and mission of IJM’s work and even take a leap of faith to support the mission if they feel led. Pray that these men of integrity will feel empowered to go and lead the work of biblical justice in their communities.

Praise God for a successful rescue operation in Southeast Asia

June 5, 2021

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, without action, is dead.”

– James 2:17

Africa & Europe

Please pray for an upcoming training in Romania for police officers and prosecutors. The training will cover identification, proactive investigations, trauma informed interventions and victim-centered prosecution of trafficking crimes. The police and prosecutors will also be trained as facilitators, so that they can effectively share this material and ensuring broader adoption of good practices that will protect and care for trafficking victims.

Latin America

Praise God for an opportunity to host a joint webinar with the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime on providing legal assistance to victims of human trafficking across Latin America. Over 300 participants and representatives from other NGOs like the Public Defenders Offices of Brazil and Peru gathered to discuss the importance of interinstitutional cooperation, with the goals of ensuring access to legal representation, providing holistic care via multidisciplinary teams and using a victim-centric approach. Pray that this webinar would produce better cooperation and alignment across the region to protect and restore the most vulnerable.

South Asia

Please pray for our recruitment of a new, top-notch research team to strengthen our work in South Asia. We are hoping to conduct innovative studies on the prevalence of bonded labor and on how justice systems are performing, which will help us combat modern slavery more effectively and in brand new places. Pray we will find brilliant and compassionate women and men for this new team, especially during the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Southeast Asia

Praise God for a successful rescue operation last week that led to the rescue of four victims of online sexual exploitation and the arrest of one suspected perpetrator. Please continue to pray for healing and provision for the survivors as they start their journey of restoration and healing and adjust to a new way of life.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM global headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has Partner Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Please continue to pray for Race To Rescue, our peer-to-peer fundraiser that is currently underway in the US and Canada. Participants will be training and fundraising across this month to run the race against slavery on June 26-27. Pray that as they are preparing, they will be encouraged in the knowledge that they are having a great impact on rescuing children all around the world trapped in slavery.

Pray for justice to prevail in Latin America

May 29, 2021

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

– Galatians 3:28

Africa & Europe

Praise God for the successful repatriation of a Ghanaian woman trafficked to the Middle East for domestic labor. Through a referral, IJM was able to facilitate her safe return to Ghana, provide trauma counseling, temporary shelter arrangements, financial support and reintegration with her family. While IJM Ghana focuses on domestic trafficking of children for labor in the fishing industry, supporting cross-border cases like this one allows IJM to help build government capacity to address trafficking crimes more broadly.

Latin America

Pray for justice to prevail in the case of a 12-year-old girl survivor of sexual violence in Bolivia. There were two suspects arrested in her case; so far one of the suspects was found guilty and sentenced by the court, but the other obtained a house arrest order until the conclusion of his trial. Since then, the investigation of the case has been stalled. Please pray for this house arrest order to be reversed and for the process to resume swiftly to ensure this man cannot hurt the survivor in this case or other children.

South Asia

Pray for several states in South Asia that have been hit with powerful cyclones — further complicating the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the hardest hit communities were already dealing with poverty and the escalating pandemic. Millions of people are now displaced due to heavy rains and flooding. Please pray for quick recovery efforts and stamina for first responders helping these struggling communities.

Southeast Asia

Pray for a forthcoming ABS-CBN documentary on online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) and IJM's work. This documentary on a major news outlet in the Philippines has great potential to raise awareness, deter crime and further partnerships on a national level — please pray that God will use this mightily to bring breakthrough in our advocacy.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM global headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has Partner Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the US.

Praise God for our teams who have worked diligently to produce the 2020 Year in Review and present it in a more accessible and interactive format than ever before. Our hope in sharing this report of what we accomplished together in 2020 is that our many supporters (like you!) see how important they are in scaling the work of justice and protecting millions from violence.

The updates we share on survivors or their cases can become sensitive over time. To respect and protect them, please refrain from posting these prayer requests online.

Praise God for the rescue of a 10-year-old boy

May 22, 2021

"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly."

– Luke 18:7-8

Africa & Europe

Praise God for the rescue of a 10-year-old boy in Ghana. Pray for his recovery and healing as he stays in a safe care home while the Department of Social Welfare identifies his family members and assesses the best options for his future care.

Latin America

Pray for IJM El Salvador staff and the local officials they support in protecting women and children from different forms of violence. As our team continues to provide technical assistance in complex cases, we ask that you pray especially for government investigators: may God grant them wisdom and protection in planning their cases as they daily risk their lives to find the truth.

South Asia

Continue to ask for God's healing in South Asia as the new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on. Pray for encouragement and safety for IJM teams who are now locked down at home. Pray for many who are grieving the loss of loved ones. Praise God for the outpouring of global support and medical resources, and please continue to pray for strengthening of the healthcare systems to bring the virus under control.

Southeast Asia

Please pray for wisdom for our colleagues working in Forced Labor Slavery in this region in the coming weeks. Specifically, pray for a pre-trial happening on May 18-20, victim identification for 10 workers in a case on May 14 and a new cross-border case involving 2 Myanmar workers who are stuck in Cambodia after being trafficked in Thailand.Please continue to pray for the political situation in Myanmar, specifically for peace and safety. Please pray for our team in Myanmar to be encouraged and supported through this difficult time.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM global headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has Partner Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the US.

Please continue to pray for our colleagues and partners in South Asia, many of whom are currently battling COVID-19 themselves or are caring for sick family members. Pray for healing as well as God's mercy across the region in this time.

The updates we share on survivors or their cases can become sensitive over time. To respect and protect them, please refrain from posting these prayer requests online.

Praise God for an important conviction in Kenya

May 15, 2021

"Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."

– Isaiah 33:2

Africa & Europe

In 2018, a businesswoman was shot by police officers at a park in Nairobi, Kenya. IJM represented the victim during the court case against the police, and this week the officers were found guilty of manslaughter. Praise God for this conviction that sends a message to the public and to other police officers that those with power will not be able to use it as a shield and will be held accountable in court for their abuses.

Latin America

Praise God for an opportunity to sign an inter-institutional agreement to train judges, prosecutors and police on how to best address trafficking in the Dominican Republic. This unique opportunity will allow large-scale workshops to be held and will create long-term impact. Pray for the pilot classes and for the hundreds of survivors who will later be served by these trained officials in a more effective and trauma-informed way.

South Asia

Please continue to pray for God's intervention in South Asia, and especially for the safety of survivors of bonded labor and their communities during the COVID surge. As the pandemic spreads from crowded cities to rural areas, local hospitals are quickly becoming overwhelmed and resources are dwindling. In many small towns and villages, healthcare workers are not trained for the type of complicated care COVID patients require. Pray for protection over the survivors we serve — many of whom are only beginning to rebuild secure and safe lives in freedom. Pray for protection over the survivors we serve, many of whom are only beginning to rebuild secure and safe lives in freedom.

Southeast Asia

Please pray over the preparations for IJM Philippines' activities and events taking place in the next few weeks and months. Please pray especially for strong attendance and a fruitful gathering for a Virtual Foster Care Forum, the external launch of National Aftercare Department Research, and a Manila Prayer Gathering.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM global headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has Partner Offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the US.

Please pray for our expanding teams in the NA region. Pray that God will provide people perfectly suited to the open roles who will help us continue to fulfill IJM's mission. Pray for those individuals who have recently joined our wonderful team to feel a sense of peace and understanding as they begin their work to help bring an end to slavery in our lifetime.

The updates we share on survivors or their cases can become sensitive over time. To respect and protect them, please refrain from posting these prayer requests online.