IJM seeks to make public justice systems work for victims of abuse and oppression who urgently need the protection of the law.

Collaborative Casework Model

IJM investigators, lawyers and social workers intervene in individual cases of abuse in partnership with state and local authorities.

By pushing individual cases of abuse through the justice system from the investigative stage to the prosecutorial stage, IJM determines the specific source of corruption, lack of resources, or lack of good will in the system denying victims the protection of their legal systems. In collaboration with local authorities, IJM addresses these specific points of brokenness to meet the urgent needs of victims of injustice.

IJM focuses its work on several casework areas. These include sex trafficking, forced labour slavery, sexual violence, illegal property seizure, illegal detention and hill tribe citizenship

In all of its casework, IJM has a four-fold purpose:

1. Victim Relief: IJM’s first priority in its casework is immediate relief for the victim of the abuse being committed.

2. Perpetrator Accountability: IJM seeks to hold perpetrators accountable for their abuse in their local justice systems. Accountability changes the fear equation: When would-be perpetrators are rightly afraid of the consequences of their abuse, the vulnerable do not need to fear them.

3. Victim Aftercare: IJM aftercare staff and trusted local aftercare partners work to ensure that victims of oppression are equipped to rebuild their lives and respond to the complex emotional and physical needs that are often the result of abuse.

4. Structural Transformation: IJM seeks to prevent abuse from being committed against others at risk by strengthening the community factors and local judicial systems that will deter potential oppressors.