Jothi's Story | International Justice Mission shield arrow-simple-alt-top arrow-simple-alt-left arrow-simple-alt-right arrow-simple-alt-bottom facebook instagram linkedin medium pinterest rss search-alt twitter video-play arrow-long-right arrow-long-left arrow-long-top arrow-long-bottom arrow-simple-right arrow-simple-left arrow-simple-bottom readio arrow-simple-top speaker-down plus minus cloud hb pin camera globe cart rotate star edit arrow-top arrow-right arrow-left arrow-bottom check search close square speaker-up speaker-mute return play pause love

LIMITED-TIME MATCH! Your gift doubles in impact to help send rescue and restore more lives.

give now.

Back to Stories

Jothi's Story

Share
April Digital Jothi Storypage hero

"Today I am happy and at peace."

Help rescue women like Jothi from modern-day slavery.

Until she was 14 years old, Jothi knew only the hard work and harsh treatment of life inside South Asia’s rice mills. Her family was under the control of mill owners who held them with debts and treated them like slaves.

Every day, Jothi woke before dawn to work. Adults would haul and boil heavy loads of raw rice, then bring it to the courtyard. There, Jothi and other children would dry the rice by spreading out the piping-hot grains with their bare feet. "It was as if I was walking on hot, burning coals," Jothi remembers.

The family was never given enough food to eat and soon became malnourished.

1 in 4 victims of forced labor trafficking is a child, like Jothi was when IJM rescued her and her family.

April Digital Jothi Storypage body

In November 2011, a group of government officials, police and IJM staff arrived to rescue families at a neighboring mill. Jothi’s parents and the other laborers jumped over the wall to ask for help.

Authorities rescued 47 people from two mills that day. All the adults and children who were forced to work got Release Certificates from the government — which broke their bonds to the owner — as well as new land to call home.

You can help rescue and restore more women like Jothi and stop the business of modern-day slavery for good.

Jothi’s family and the others joined IJM’s two-year aftercare program, where they could learn life skills, begin to overcome their trauma and plan for a better future.

Today, through education and loving support from caring friends like you, Jothi has developed a talent in tailoring and quilt-making. She dreams of starting her own shop soon.

“People here frequently tell me that I am an artist,” she says proudly. “They say I have a lot of talent that has finally taken root and is blooming to its full potential. Today, I am happy and at peace.”

Select or Enter Monthly Gift Amount:

$

Or give using your Donor–Advised Fund Donor-Advised Funds

Billing Information

Your Donation: $ + $0.46 fees

Card Information

Your Donation: $ + $0.46 fees

You are giving a one-time gift.

Give with confidence BBB Accredited Charity and Guidestar Platinum Participant

You might also be interested in…

see more

Media Contact

We're here to answer your questions. Please fill out the form below and someone from our team will follow up with you soon.

More Information

Petra Kooman

Director of Marketing and Public Relations
pkooman@ijm.ca
519.679.5030 x.229

Make an Impact

Your skills, talents, and ideas are a force for change. From birthday parties to polar dips, your fundraising campaign can stop the violence.

Learn More

Thank you for signing up to learn more about starting a fundraiser. We will be in touch soon!

In the meantime, please take a look at our free guide: 25 Tips for the Novice Fundraiser.

Need Help?

Need more information?
We're here to help.
Contact us at events@ijm.ca

Test

Test