IJM News

CHENNAI, INDIA – IJM Chennai got a call on a Tuesday afternoon. The caller was trapped in a brick factory, desperate for help. Another woman who was enslaved in the factory was critically ill. The factory owner was refusing to let her get medical help. "If you don't come tonight," the caller said, "she will die."

Barely Surviving

IJM had learned that about 50 people were confined to the brick factory, ranging from 6 months to 65 years old. Children as young as 14 years old were forced to work long hours, doing back-breaking work molding and carrying bricks.

KIGALI, RWANDA – A Rwandan court's decision brought swift justice for 11-year-old Clarice* and her family. Just three weeks after she was raped, the man who attacked her has been found guilty by the court and sent to prison, where he can never hurt more children.

Clarice was especially vulnerable: a young girl, living with a mental disability and largely unable to communicate. On April 3, an older neighbor lured her into the woods and violently raped her. A woman passing by saw the assault and reported it to local leaders.