It was a nightmare that Joy would endure for years as she hid the dark secret from anyone who knew her. “I was scared and confused. We were left with no choice but to follow her instructions,” Joy says. “I wondered if a brighter future was even possible for me.”

Because of caring friends like you, Joy is free and safe today. Your support enabled IJM’s team in Cebu to partner with Philippine law enforcement to find and arrest Joy’s aunt — and to rescue Joy along with 12 other children who had been exploited. “God heard and answered my prayers,” Joy says.

But Joy’s rescue was just the start of her story. She entered our aftercare program where she actively participated in trauma therapy and became committed to her restoration. IJM team members soon began to realize that the pain in Joy’s past was no match for her resilience. “She’s like a seed that grows up to be a beautiful flower,” says Jenette, Joy’s IJM social worker.

Joy’s abuse is horrific, and not unique. Online sexual exploitation of children is a global crime — requiring a relentless global response. A response that could help end trafficking in our lifetime