About IJM Canada

International Justice Mission Canada is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression, in partnership with U.S.-based International Justice Mission (IJM).  IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems – police, courts and laws – effectively protect the poor from violence.

The mission of IJM Canada is to protect, rescue and restore people oppressed by violent forces of injustice.

IJM's justice professionals work in their communities in 13 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure tangible and sustainable protection through the enforcement of national laws by local court systems. In addition to IJM Canada, IJM maintains affiliate relationships with IJM UK, IJM Netherlands and IJM Germany.

IJM Collaborative Casework

IJM investigators, lawyers and social workers intervene in individual cases of abuse in partnership with state and local authorities to ensure proper support for the victim and appropriate action against the perpetrator. Such collaboration is essential to obtain convictions against individual perpetrators and to bring meaning to local laws that are meaningless if not enforced. + Learn More

History

Founded in 1997, IJM began operations in response to a massive need. Historically, humanitarian and missions organizations worked faithfully and courageously to bring healthcare, education, food and other vital services to those who needed them. But little had been done to actually restrain the oppressors who are a source of great harm to the vulnerable.

Concerned by this need, a group of lawyers, human rights professionals and public officials launched an extensive study of the injustices witnessed by overseas missionaries and relief and development workers. This study, surveying more than 65 organizations and representing 40,000 overseas workers, uncovered a nearly unanimous awareness of abuses of power by police and other authorities in the communities where they served. Without the resources or expertise to confront the abuse and to bring rescue to the victims, these overseas workers required the assistance of trained public justice professionals.

Gary Haugen, working as a lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice and as the United Nations’ Investigator in Charge in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, founded International Justice Mission as a response to this massive need. Today, IJM has grown to more than 300 professionals working in their own communities to fight injustice.

In 2002, Jamie McIntosh established International Justice Mission Canada to educate, empower and engage Canadians in IJM's global mission to seek justice for the oppressed. IJM Canada is based in London, Ontario and contributes to IJM field operations in five countries around the world.

IJM Canada is registered with Canada Revenue Agency as a federally recognized charitable organization (registration number: 86388 9283 RR0001).