Each one of you has your own story that inspired you in this mission to protect people living in poverty from violence and exploitation. For Marie Riba, it was witnessing her mother receive threats from other family members over property after Marie’s father died.

“That experience made me want to protect my family.... I knew that law would give me voice and power to protect [people] and prevent oppressors from winning,” Marie said.

From revelation to action

While studying law in Delhi, she went to an IJM presentation where she learned for the first time the problem of human trafficking. A couple of years later, she joined IJM as a lawyer.

Throughout her career, Marie has built strong relationships with government stakeholders, led trainings on combating human trafficking and child sexual abuse, and convicted nearly 40 perpetrators of the crime.


Making justice possible — one person at a time

After years of experience fighting for freedom in the courtrooms, Marie shared her experience with IJM to help launch a new office in Bangladesh. Marie has become a welcome partner for local officials who want to improve their service to people who are vulnerable.

It’s her commitment to making justice possible that keeps her going. “Protecting 500 million people is massive, but I will be faithful to my calling and approach it by protecting one person at a time,” Marie said.

We hope her story helps you think about your own story that fuels your passion in supporting survivors of violence and exploitation. We truly could not do this work without people like Marie—and you!