The Current

 

We shared the story of Joseph, a father in Kenya who was imprisoned despite his innocence. Unable to afford a lawyer, he would have to wait months or years for a trial held in a language he couldn’t speak. But IJM took Joseph’s case, and stood up for him in court. Because Joseph had a defender, he was officially acquitted.

 

We shared the story of Mala, who we first met when she was 16 years old. Trapped in one of Kolkata’s infamous red-light districts, she had lost any hope of escape. “There are only two ways to get out of this brothel,” Mala said. “You either get sold to another brothel, or you die. Those are the only two ways.” But for Mala and several other underage girls, there did turn out to be another way out. IJM worked with the Criminal Investigation Department of West Bengal to rescue them and bring the brothel managers to justice.

 

It is important for us to share these stories from the field with you, because you are an integral part of what we do. When you take the time to come to an event, understand the issues, make a gift, pray, write a note of encouragement to our field staff, or send a message to your elected representatives, you join us and share in the work of justice. Stories of survivors like Joseph and Mala inspire us to act, and when we act, we in turn can bring hope – and, sometimes, the best of times – rescue to those who need it.