The September 17 and October 8, 2009, editions of The Nation included articles by freelance writer Noy Thrupkaew which addressed the issue of child sexual exploitation. The first article focused on IJM’s early efforts, dating as far back as 2003, to combat the issue in Southeast Asia. The writer’s criticism is almost entirely based on events in 2003, much of it inaccurate. She missed altogether major developments in the anti-trafficking field since then. Today, virtually every credible anti-trafficking organization – including UN agencies, NGO’s, and responsible governments – knows that children and forced adults have no place in the sex industry. In more than 10 years of experience on the frontlines of this field, IJM has found that effective policing can be done without infringing on the rights of adult women voluntarily engaging in commercial sex.

The second article provided a grim snapshot of the lives of victims, but failed to acknowledge how IJM’s holistic efforts to serve victims with expertise and long-term commitment has transformed more than 1,000 lives.

In order to address some of the errors and mischaracterizations in the articles, three IJM staff members submitted the below letters to the editor of The Nation.

Letters to the Editor

October 14, 2009

To the Editor of The Nation:

Readers of two articles in The Nation that criticized the rescue of children from commercial sex venues should know about a recent investigation and operation conducted in Siem Reap, Cambodia, by the local police and International Justice Mission (IJM). This is the latest in IJM’s casework in Asia which has secured freedom and aftercare for more than 1000 minor girls and trafficked adult women, the arrest of more than 500 suspects, and convictions of more than 130 perpetrators.

In September 2009, an IJM operative received information from an informant about a karaoke bar in Siem Reap, where managers sequestered approximately a dozen girls for sexual exploitation by customers. Most of the girls were under 18, the youngest 14.

IJM investigators contacted the provincial Cambodian Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Police (AHTJP) and between October 2 and 4, IJM investigators made several visits to the bar, posing as customers to gain access to the youngest girls and secure evidence of their age and circumstances. They provided this to the AHTJP, which prepared reports for the local prosecutor, who then issued warrants.

On October 5, an operation was conducted which resulted in the rescue of 12 victims and the arrest of the brothel owner. The following morning, another suspect was arrested in a nearby city.

IJM aftercare staff, who accompanied the victims during their police interviews, learned that many of the 12 victims were severely beaten regularly – some with scars to prove it. Photos show a small, windowless, dirty “prison” where the girls were kept and prohibited from leaving. Each of the girls requested placement in aftercare facilities, where they receive high quality medical and psychological care, schooling, and job training.

IJM, the Obama Administration and UN agencies, regard law enforcement to remove children from brothels and apprehend those who sell and rape them to be indispensable for countries like Cambodia – as it is for the U.S.

Holly Burkhalter
Vice President, Government Relations
International Justice Mission

October 15, 2009

To the Editor of The Nation:

I am the Field Office Director for International Justice Mission (IJM) in Manila, and was interviewed by Ms. Noy Thrupkaew for a two-part series on child sex trafficking which appeared in The Nation on Sept. 17 and Oct. 8, 2009.

Unfortunately, Ms. Thrupkaew’s unbalanced articles not only fail to address the critical impact of IJM’s work in the lives of hundreds of survivors of sex trafficking in the Philippines – but failed to acknowledge that hope or security are even possibilities for trafficking survivors. She claims she made “numerous attempts to find and speak with ‘the one’ rescued in an IJM intervention,” though she never made such a request of me.

Had Ms. Thrupkaew asked, she could have spoken with, among many others, Eliza, an IJM client rescued by the Philippine National Police in an operation supported by IJM social workers, investigators and lawyers. Eliza recently wrote this:

Carmela Andal-Castro
Field Office Director
Manila, Philippines
International Justice Mission

October 16, 2009

To the Editor of The Nation:

Freelance reporter Noy Thrupkaew wrote a two-part series on child sex trafficking for The Nation (Sept. 17 and Oct. 8), focusing on the work of International Justice Mission (IJM). Unfortunately, the articles present almost none of the facts or views shared with her in more than 20 hours of interviews conducted with IJM senior staff members in three countries. Additionally, the articles contain numerous inaccuracies and mischaracterizations of IJM’s work. In the interest of a fair and informed dialogue about child sex trafficking, I offer the following clarifications:

• Today, virtually every credible anti-trafficking organization – including UN agencies, NGOs and responsible governments – agrees that engagement with law enforcement is the best and only sustainable way to protect victims and apprehend perpetrators of sex trafficking. Corruption within police forces should not be a reason to deny trafficking victims the enforcement of laws designed to protect them, as the article suggests – but a strong argument to train and build capacity (as IJM has done for hundreds of officers around the globe).
• IJM’s aftercare protocols for sex trafficking victims are widely considered to be state-of-the-art by anti-trafficking professionals. The author falsely suggests that IJM “abandons” victims after rescue. IJM’s in-country social workers partner with aftercare organizations on the ground to secure shelter, medical care, psychological assistance, and schooling or job training for trafficking survivors.
• IJM does not “raid” brothels and, as an NGO, has no authority to do so. IJM provides investigative support – and where requested by the local police, offers technical assistance on police-initiated, court-approved enforcement of national anti-trafficking laws. Whenever possible, IJM provides social work support during such operations to ensure excellent treatment of both victims and non-victims impacted by the police intervention.

Given the scope and urgency of the issue – to rescue thousands of children and trafficked women from lives of sexual slavery and rape – it is unfortunate to see The Nation carry reporting that manufactures controversy rather than mobilizes efforts or encourages dialogue. The dedicated staff of NGOs, governments and police agencies who stand on the frontlines of the battle against child sex trafficking - and the victims they serve - deserve better.

For more information about IJM’s anti-trafficking casework, please see http://www.ijm.org/ijmnews/afalsecontroversy.

Amy E. Roth
Director of Media Relations
International Justice Mission