After almost 15 years with IJM, Philip Langford shares why "It turns out that traffickers aren't brave." Persistence wins the fight for freedom, and in hotspot after hotspot, IJM's proven theory of change has seen slavery and trafficking rates fall by 70-80% or more.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put vulnerable workers and families at risk of forced and child labour in the textile industry. IJM and partners have run multiple successful rescue operations in India's Tamil Nadu state, seeing 62 people rescued within the past month.

An expansive search has led to the safe rescue of Vignesh,* a 10-year-old boy who has spent the last two years enslaved at a goat farm.

Survivor Leaders in the Released Bonded Labourers Association (RBLA) rallied authorities to rescue a couple who had been enslaved at a mango farm for about 20 years. IJM had known about this couple since 2016, but they were always too scared to ever share the truth about their experience, due to the power of the owner.

Finally freed: the young couple who had been enslaved at a brick kiln for three years were rescued thanks to IJM's partnership with Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) and local authorities. The young woman was 3 months pregnant. The owner had refused to let them leave and demanded they pay him $1,333 or he'd kill them with a motorbike. Terrified, the couple managed to contact relatives, who passed the case to FSD.

Once struggling to make ends meet, survivor Sanjeevi now beams with pride. 10 years ago, he was rescued with his wife and children from a life of bonded labour in a brutal rice mill. Today, he stands tall: knowing his two daughters will be the first in the family to pursue higher education.

A groundbreaking IJM Study reveals significant findings and recommends holistic solutions to curb this growing global crime.By John Tanagho, Director of IJM END OSEC Center

At the end of June, IJM's trained partner organisation CARITAS, the Department of Social Welfare and the police brought three children to safety from suspected exploitation on Lake Volta. This is the first operation by an IJM-trained NGO partner in Ghana.

Human trafficking today is a multibillion-dollar global criminal industry that’s bigger than ever. Here are some myth busters to make us all think twice.