December 2011

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – In a landmark case that will echo throughout trafficking rings around the capital city of Cambodia, the former chief of the Phnom Penh Municipal Anti Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Police was found guilty as an accomplice to aggravated procurement of prostitution. Yesterday, he and three other perpetrators were convicted for trafficking crimes, all sentenced to at least seven years in prison.

The former chief is the first police officer from an anti-trafficking unit to ever be convicted of a trafficking in persons crime.

KIGALI, RWANDA – This week, a Rwandan judge sentenced a man to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. IJM staff called Carol* and her mother right away to share news of the conviction – the longest ever in an IJM Rwanda case. The perpetrator was also ordered to pay damages to Carol, fined under both the civil and criminal cases.

"This is a huge win for Carol, for girls across Rwanda who have experienced sexual violence, and for IJM" explains IJM Rwanda Director Lane Mears.

MUMBAI, INDIA – Last week, IJM Mumbai assisted local police to rescue a woman who had been trafficked to a brothel, routinely beaten and exploited by customers who paid to rape her. Police arrested the brothel keeper, who will face trafficking charges.  

The young woman was taken to a police station where she gave an initial testimony of the abuse and received immediate crisis care. “She had been beaten badly.

Earlier this month, the Government Relations team had the wonderful experience of traveling to Chennai, India, to work with the Government Relations team in our office there. It was an extraordinarily gratifying and wonderful experience for our whole team -- for most of the US-based team, this was their first opportunity to see IJM's work in the field directly!