The Current

This year has truly been an inspiring one for our team here at Justice Campaigns, and it’s because of people like you—who have dedicated so much time and effort to advocating for victims of oppression around the world.

As you know this year we’ve been working together to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). While the bill hasn’t yet passed in Congress, we’ve seen some incredible transformation already as a result of your work:

• In October, you read about Alan and Beth Seelinger ‘s amazing advocacy in Georgia. After two years of building relationships with staff in their Senators’ offices, both Senators agreed to cosponsor the TVPRA. This simply would not have happened without the relentless perseverance of Alan, Beth and other anti-trafficking advocates in Georgia who have championed this issue. We’re confident both Georgia Senators will continue to lead on this issue as a result.
• In Ohio, advocates met with Senator Portman’s staff in three of his district offices during our August in-district campaign, following up from meetings volunteers had with him during our Lobby Day in April. A new Senator just elected to office last year, he is now a co-sponsor of the TVPRA. When his staff personally called some of our advocates to tell them of the Senator’s exciting decision, they said it was because of all the messages he’d received from constituents who had called, written, or met with his office about the TVPRA.
• This summer, staff from Mississippi Senator Cochran’s office visited two of IJM’s field offices in Southeast Asia to learn about our work in the field. The relationships with these staff were built through Mississippi constituents who made it clear to their Senator, who is the Ranking Republican on the powerful Appropriations Committee, that they wanted anti-trafficking to be a priority in Congress. The Senator has since signed on as a cosponsor of the TVPRA and stepped up as a leader in the fight against slavery worldwide.

These examples are just a few stories of how advocacy can transform a country when people are empowered to speak up to their leaders about violence against the poor.

Between now and December 15, help continue to empower advocates by giving a gift of transformation this Christmas through our Holiday Gift Catalog! Thank you for your continued partnership and for the transformative work that you do—this holiday season, we are grateful for you.

Erica Boonstra is an organizer for Justice Campaigns and helps manage IJM's grassroots efforts around the country and abroad. Justice Campaigns mobilizes people around the country in support of U.S. policies that will lead to the abolition of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.