You Spoke, Congress Listened
This spring, advocates across the nation rallied together to speak up for the 40 million people trapped in slavery (Global Slavery Index, 2018). As a movement, thousands of you leveraged the power of digital tools to raise your voices to your members of Congress through tweets, emails and online petitions. Together, we urged Congress to ensure that the State Department’s Program to End Modern Slavery and the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Office are fully funded in the 2020 appropriations bill. Here is a breakdown of the momentum you’ve built:
Read MoreThe Impact of Your Advocacy: A Perspective from IJM Mumbai
IJM Mumbai opened in 2000 and has been combating sex trafficking and fervently working to protect the poor from violence for nearly 20 years. In 2018, IJM Mumbai was awarded a grant from the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) which will play a huge role in expanding our programs to combat these egregious acts of violence.
For a more in-depth discussion, we had the opportunity to learn from Yesudas Naidu, who serves as the Associate Director of Training and Development in the IJM Mumbai Office.
Question: How did you first get involved in the work of IJM?
Read MoreHolly's News from Washington - February 2019
As someone who has been an advocate in the human rights field for more than thirty years, the one constant I count on is the unpredictable nature of working with Congress. 2019 began with a massive challenge for those of us advocating with the government: the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which just recently ended. The partial government shutdown occurred because Congress adjourned for the holidays without passing 2019 funding for approximately 25 percent of the federal government. The stop-gap funding will last until February 15, 2019. If Congress and the President can reach an agreement, the U.S. Government will stay open. If negotiations fail, there is the possibility of another closure.
Read More3 tips for your next & best email to Congress
The game has changed. The landscape of influencing Congress is evolving and as advocates with a message that impacts millions lives around the world, we must adapt our tactics to make sure we’re heard.Here’s what we know:With midterm elections in the United States just days away, our great American experiment is in full swing. We are engaging in the democratic process and making our voices heard as voters. But as IJM advocates, we know this kind of voice-raising doesn’t have to be limited to showing up at the ballot box on a Tuesday in November.
Read MorePrayer Changes Everything
By Joash Thomas, Regional Mobilization Manager, SoutheastAt IJM, we believe that prayer is the starting point for the work of justice. As we seek justice on behalf of the poor and oppressed, we turn to God to ask for his help with work that can seem daunting. Around the world, IJM prayer partners and prayer communities comes together to enter in to the work of prayer as we press forward in areas of great darkness and serve those in need of rescue and restoration.
Read MoreConnecting with Congress: It Just Got Easier
By Laura Nagle, IJM Advocacy and Mobilization InternIt's never been easier to connect directly with your members of Congress. Facebook has introduced a tool (“the Constituent Badge”) that can help you advocate on behalf of causes like the fight against modern-day slavery. You can opt-in to this new functionality, which creates a badge on your profile, as well as your posts and comments, validating your official Congressional district. Through this constituent badge, lawmakers can more easily recognize their constituents, allowing them to have better visibility into what is most important for those in their district. Lawmakers can also directly communicate with their district’s constituents through this tool. The constituent badge tool creates a simple and direct stream of communication between lawmakers and their constituents.
Not only does the constituent badge create a new flow of communication between directly with your lawmaker; it also creates a new flow of communication between you and those in your community. By opting into this badge, you’ll have the opportunity to see links, posts, and relevant articles important to people in your area. This means you, as the constituent, have a new means of spreading information to other advocates in your district.
This Facebook badge is a valuable tool to consider for those of us advocating for an end to slavery in our lifetime. It’s a new means to communicate with lawmakers about legislation, harnessing social influence to push for action in Congress and fuel the movement in your area.
Curious about how to opt-in and where to get started? Once you log in to Facebook, take these simple steps to get started:
In the search bar, type in “Town Hall”. Town Hall.png Read MoreThe 2018 TIP Report is Here! Time to take action.
Today, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released the 2018 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, a critical tool to shed light on the present state of human trafficking around the world. This is a unique opportunity to educate your community about this crime by writing a Letter to the Editor. (It's easy—everything you need is below!)
Read MoreTweet to Congress! 2018 #TIPReport
#TIPReport Tweet-In Day
June 28, 2018
Each year, the State Department releases a critical tool to shed light on the present state of human trafficking around the world. It’s called the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.
On Thursday, June 28, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released the 2018 TIP Report. Most notably, the Report reveals the truth regarding the progress global nations have made towards ending this crime, and it’s a great opportunity to raise the profile of this issue with our elected leaders.
Read MoreCall your senators today!
Do you have 5 minutes to spare? Yes? Great!
Congress is already facing pressure to impose signficant spending cuts on foreign aid in next year’s budget. Calling your Senators is one of the best ways to show them you care and ensure they use their power to protect funds that will end slavery for good.
Led by Senator Blumenthal (CT), a Dear Colleague letter is now live and circulating the Senate. In this letter, Senator Bluementhal gives his colleagues the opportunity to sign on and join him in supporting full funding of anti-slavery programs in 2019. There's still time for your Senator to add his/her name to this important letter.
Read MoreFrom Advocacy to Impact: A Vision Trip to Manila
As IJM’s Regional Mobilization Manager for the West Coast, I (Kate) have the privilege of building teams of leaders across the West Coast who partner with us in making freedom real for IJM’s clients around the world. They courageously build this movement for advocacy, prayer and raise funds in their city that make rescue and restoration possible worldwide.
Manila-1.jpgThis last November, I traveled with seven IJM supporters and advocates, making our way from the Bay Area to Manila, Philippines. We spent a week diving deeper into our work combating cyber-trafficking, allowing these friends to imagine unique tech-solutions that could be brought to bear in addressing this issue.
During the trip, we had the opportunity to attend the Manila Prayer Gathering. It was incredible to see a cross section of faith leaders in the Philippines praying specifically and urgently for this work happening in their own city. As visitors, we had the chance to witness real life updates that we prayed for at our Bay Area Prayer Gathering just months prior.
Manila-6.jpgWe also had a chance to visit with the Philippines National Police and meet officers who, in partnership with IJM, lead national efforts to combat cyber trafficking. It was a powerful visual of the transformation that’s taken place over the years in Manila through fundraising, prayer, and persistent advocacy in the United States. It was life-giving for our team to meet and see the people doing this work.
With great clarity, I saw the life-changing impact that's possible. I'm more convinced than ever that our action right where we are is transforming the movement for justice around the world. My encouragement to you would be that your voice matters.
Your tweet, your call to Congress, and your actions are ensuring a better life for someone you may never get to meet. We did, and I wanted to share this impact with you.
- Kate Case, IJM Regional Mobilization Manager