#UnsafeInLockdown
Help us protect the most vulnerable
Violence is increasing during lockdown
The COVID-19 is inadvertently creating the conditions for disturbing increases of violence and abuse in many of the areas where we work. While International Justice Mission has been working with partners to supply basic needs, like continued aftercare, food, and housing, we are also actively investigating cases of increased violence and human trafficking.
But there is hope. We will not stop fighting until all are free.
Cybersex Trafficking of Children
Lockdowns has increased the demand and supply of online sex trafficking.
Violence Against Women and Children
Lockdown means that women and children who face the threat of domestic violence are trapped at home with their abusers 24/7.
Police Abuse of Power
There has been increased police abuse in Kenya to enforce curfews. IJM and partners are continuing to protect clients from violence and monitor human rights violations.
Will you stand with our frontline teams and resource them to identify, locate and rescue vulnerable children?
What can you do to help us protect those #UnsafeinLockdown?
See how we are continuing to serve
From providing PPE and providing emergency food to survivors, to supporting police in live rescue operations, IJM teams are doing all they can to safely protect survivors and stop violent abuse.
Cybersex Trafficking
Cybersex trafficking - or online sexual exploitation of children – sees real children sexually abused in real time for predators to watch online. Philippines is a global hotspot, but demand is fuelled by Western sex offenders - including from the UK. In the Philippines parents and close family friends are often the facilitators of the abuse which means that many children are in lockdown with their abusers.
Joy became a victim of cybersex trafficking aged 10.
Violence Against Women and Children
Across the world, violence against women and children is harming and killing thousands every week – and this is only increasing during lockdown, as people are trapped at home with their abuser.
Thanks to IJM's legal support, Sarah bravely testified in court against her abuser, and he was sentenced.
Police Abuse of Power
Hundreds of millions of people in the world's poorest countries are abused by corrupt police who extort bribes and brutalise innocent citizens, or are held in abusive pre-trial detention. In many places around the world, rather than teach their children to run to the police if they are in trouble, parents must teach them to run from the police to stay safe from harm.
As measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Kenya, we have seen a spike in police abuse while enforcing the night curfew. The Kenyan government’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority [IPOA] has reported that they have documented at least 35 cases of police brutality in connection to the curfew enforcement, including 12 which resulted in death.
Wilfred Olal, who coordinates the Justice Centers that IJM supports, shared with the Washington Post that he believes there has been at least one death a night in the communities that the Justice Centers monitor.
IJM Kenya works to combat police abuse of power in Kenya.