To Look After Orphans And Widows

In Africa, a widow and her children lacking resources for legal help can lose land and property they own. Others that are crafty and intimidating simply grab these from them.

Children of the South Asia tsunami victims are vulnerable. They are preyed upon by child traffickers.

These scenarios are not limited to Africa and South Asia. Bond slavery, the prostituting of children and other injustices to those who cannot rely upon their local law enforcement are worldwide phenomena.

The Bible says:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

One organization has taken this principle to heart. The International Justice Mission (IJM) helps people suffering injustice and oppression who cannot rely on local authorities for relief. The agency documents and monitors conditions of abuse and oppression, educates the church and public about the abuses, and mobilizes intervention on behalf of the victims. IJM was founded by Gary Haugen who was the Officer in Charge of the U.N. investigation into the Rwanda genocide.

The IJM's methods include:

Documentation: International Justice Mission seeks to establish factual records of reported human rights abuses based on the investigations of legally trained professionals

Intervention: International Justice Mission seeks to intervene on behalf of the victims of injustice and oppression by providing or facilitating the provision of:

1. Emergency relief (helping to bring an end to the abusive conduct or conditions)
2. Perpetrator accountability (helping to bring the perpetrators to justice)
3. Structural prevention (helping to prevent the abusive conduct or conditions)
4. Victim care (helping to bring tangible compensation or aid to the victims)

Education: International Justice Mission seeks to present:

1. The biblical and devotional imperative to seek justice on behalf of the oppressed
2. A concrete need for intervention on behalf of specific victims of abuse and oppression
3. Overseas examples of the tangible, effective relief that can be brought to the victims of injustice through international efforts.

More on the IJM website...

Titled, "Twenty Four Children Rescued From Sex Slavery in the Dominican Republic, Five Perpetrators Jailed," here is a sample of what the media are saying about IJM.

Please pay them a visit. Remember them in your prayer. Ask the LORD to instruct you on how you could become part of religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless.

God bless you.