IJM Findings and Studies

This publication presents a baseline study that addresses the prevalence of violence and the reliance of the population in its Justice System. The study, which was conducted using a representative sample in 15 municipalities of the three zones in El Salvador, is based on 2,700 household surveys. International Justice Mission carries out these measurements to guide the decisions in its own program and to generate data on the degree of transformation of the Salvadoran Justice System in response to Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC).

The prevalence baseline found that 38% of adult women and 28% of adolescents aged 13 to 17 have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, and 6% of women and 7% of adolescents experienced it in the previous 12 months. Despite the high prevalence of violence, only 27% of adult women and less than 15% of adolescents who experienced violence reported the incident to a justice system institution in the 12 months preceding the study. Among those who do report, the National Civil Police is the primary institution victims turn to, particularly in cases of sexual violence. Victims often choose not to report the violence they have suffered due to fear, pressure, and threats, as well as a normalization of the violence. Over 23% of women and 45% of adolescents aged 13 to 17 do not perceive physical violence as a problem.

In 2023, IJM culminated a study to understand the response of the justice system in Bolivia to physical and sexual violence against girls, boys, adolescents, and women (VAWC). The research assesses four domains: 1) the prevalence of VAWC, 2) the performance of the justice system in VAWC cases, 3) the confidence in the system by its own officials and professionals and 4) the level of reliance of the population on the PJS. The findings of the study provide solid and specialized evidence for strengthening the justice system’s capacity to respond to violence by holding perpetrators accountable and facilitating the path to restoration, resilience, and safety for victims. They also serve as a baseline for measuring the effects of IJM interventions to strengthen the justice system to enforce the law, deter criminals, and protect victims.

The prevalence baseline found that 53% of adult women and 40% of adolescents in La Paz, El Alto, Sucre, and Cochabamba had suffered an act of physical or sexual violence in their lives, and 10% and 17% respectively within the last 12 months. After suffering an act of physical or sexual violence, according to the reliance survey, 17% of adult women and 5% of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 reported the aggression to the Public Justice System (PJS). A case file review finds that of the cases that entered the PJS, 58.9% were rejected, 19.8% were dismissed after in-depth review, and only 4% received a sentence.

Between March 1 and May 31, 2024, International Justice Mission (IJM) implemented an extensive data collection program to understand the risks of trafficking and exploitation faced by Ukrainian refugees in Romania. In total, 40 professionals from 29 IJM Romania partner institutions were interviewed. Additionally, from April to May 2024, a total of 495 Ukrainian refugees responded to an online questionnaire, which aimed to collect information about their experiences in Romania, perceived risks, and willingness to report these risks to the authorities.

The data collection is part of the scope of the project “Regional Response to Trafficking in Persons within the Ukraine Crisis”, funded by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State, and implemented by IJM.

La presente evaluación es independiente y sumativa, realizada tras 9 años de trabajo de IJM en República Dominicana. Está orientada a identificar en qué medida el Programa de IJM en RD ha logrado fortalecer el Sistema Público de Justicia (SPJ) dominicano en respuesta a la Trata de Personas con Fines de Explotación Sexual (TDPFES) y la Explotación Sexual Comercial de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes (ESCNNA), y en qué medida esta respuesta del Estado dominicano contribuyó a una reducción de la prevalencia de la ESCNNA y la TDPFES. El informe señala que IJM se posicionó como organización líder en República Dominicana contra la ESCNNA y la TDPFES, logrando un fortalecimiento de las instituciones del SPJ y una mayor cooperación entre las mismas, lo que permitió investigaciones y acusaciones de mayor calidad, sentencias más adecuadas y un trato más sensible a las víctimas. Asimismo, IJM jugó un rol fundamental movilizando diferentes actores de la sociedad civil y otras organizaciones como las de Naciones Unidas, a través de acciones de incidencia conjuntas para combatir la ESCNNA y la TDPFES, que contribuyeron a una mayor conciencia política y social sobre el tema.

This is an independent and summative evaluation, conducted after 9 years of IJM's work in the Dominican Republic. It aims to identify to what extent the IJM DR program has been able to strengthen the Dominican Public Justice System (PJS) in response to Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (CSEC), and to what extent this response of the Dominican state contributed to a reduction in the prevalence of CSEC and TIP. The report notes that IJM positioned itself as a leading organization against CSEC and TIP in the Dominican Republic, achieving a strengthening of PJS institutions and greater cooperation between them, which allowed for higher quality investigations and prosecutions, more appropriate sentencing, and more sensitive treatment of victims. IJM also played a fundamental role in mobilizing civil society actors and other organizations, such as the United Nations, through joint advocacy actions to combat CSEC and TIP, ultimately contributing to greater political and social awareness of the issue.

The production of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) is an issue that plagues communities worldwide. Yet, the Philippines has been identified as a global epicenter for financially motivated CSEM production, especially via livestreaming. Anecdotal evidence suggests that incidences of this form of trafficking and exploitation in the Philippines are high. In March 2021, International Justice Mission (IJM) launched the Scale of Harm project to measure the prevalence of trafficking of children to produce CSEM in the Philippines.

Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) is a rising form of child abuse in the Philippines with significant social, health and wellbeing consequences for survivors. In response, this scoping review was undertaken to advance understanding of the current empirical evidence on OSEC in the Philippines and to identify its characteristics, key drivers and leading intervention and prevention approaches in order to develop improved policy and practice responses.

This study examines the response of the public justice system (PJS) of the Dominican Republic in response to commercial sexual exploitation of children and sex trafficking from 2010-2022. It is the first study of its kind in the DR to use a robust methodology and provide concrete data about the performance of the PJS in response to the crime, key stakeholder confidence in the PJS response, and people’s reliance on the PJS.

This study examines the prevalence of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in 20 cities in the Dominican Republic through an undercover survey that used qualitative and quantitative methods. This report contrasts 2022 prevalence levels with those obtained in a baseline study conducted by IJM in 2014. This study found a statistically significant 78% reduction in the prevalence of CSEC over the eight years between the two studies. The prevalence of CSEC went from 10.0% in 2014 to 2.2% in 2022.

El presente estudio examina la respuesta del sistema público de justicia (SPJ) dominicano a la explotación sexual comercial de niños, niñas y adolescentes (ESCNNA) y la trata de personas (TDP) con fines de explotación sexual en el período comprendido entre 2010-2022. Es el primer estudio nacional de este tipo que emplea una metodología robusta y aporta datos concretos sobre el desempeño del SPJ en respuesta al crimen, la percepción de confianza de autoridades claves sobre la respuesta del SPJ y la fiabilidad del SPJ desde la perspectiva de los sobrevivientes.

El presente estudio examina los niveles de prevalencia de la explotación sexual comercial de niños, niñas y adolescentes (ESCNNA) en 20 ciudades prioritarias de la República Dominicana, a través de una encuesta encubierta que usó métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos. Este informe presenta los resultados de la prevalencia en 2022 en contraste con los obtenidos en el estudio de línea base realizado por IJM en 2014. Documenta una reducción significativa de la prevalencia de ESCNNA, pasando de 10.0 % en 2014 a 2.2 % en 2022. Esto significa que, en el transcurso de ocho años, la prevalencia de ESCNNA es un 78.0 % menor a la encontrada en 2014.

This summary report provides the highlights from the study into the nature and scale of OSEC in the Philippines. This study was led by IJM, in partnership with the Philippine Government and a variety of stakeholders, under the U.S.-Philippine Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership between the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Government of the Philippines.

This report presents the results of a study into the nature and scale of OSEC in the Philippines. This study was led by IJM, in partnership with the Philippine Government and a variety of stakeholders, under the U.S.-Philippine Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership between the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Government of the Philippines.

This report summarizes the baseline study findings of the Philippine Government’s response to the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children as it was in 2017.

The second edition of IJM's Justice Review is a compendium of studies of forced, trafficked labor commissioned by International Justice Mission. This edition includes substantial summaries of full-length prevalence reports on bonded labor in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore, India; child labor slavery in Ghana; and trafficked labor in Thailand's fishing industry. It also includes studies of the capacity of the Cambodian and Thai governments' criminal justice systems to address labor trafficking. Links to the majority of the full-length reports are included.

An external evaluation of IJM's 2012-2017 program to address land theft (property grabbing) from widows by strengthening the public justice system response.

Este estudio analiza el desempeño del SJP en Guatemala en casos de violencia sexual en contra de la niñez y adolescencia, y donde es apropiado, hacer una comparación entre los hallazgos de línea final entre 2013-2017 y los hallazgos del estudio de línea base entre 2008- 2012, llevado a cabo en 2012-2013. El objetivo principal de este estudio es entender cómo ha cambiado el desempeño del SJP en Guatemala durante los últimos cinco años, reconocer las mejoras, y contribuir a los esfuerzos del SJP de mejorar la respuesta del sistema a los casos de violencia sexual en contra de NNA.

The Assessment of Survivor Outcomes (ASO) tool, developed by International Justice Mission is a valid and reliable tool for measuring progress toward restoration and outcomes for survivors who are recovering from various forms of violence and exploitation.

Explore the ASO Tool: www.ijm.org/aso

An investigation conducted in collaboration with the Bolivian Magistrate's Council to assess the criminal process, from start to finish, of cases of sexual violence against children in La Paz, Bolivia.

Investigación realizada en colaboración con el Consejo de la Magistratura de Bolivia para evaluar el proceso penal, de principio a fin, en casos de violencia sexual contra la niñez en La Paz, Bolivia.

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in Metro Manila, the Philippines

By Holly Burkhalter, Senior Advisor for Justice System Transformation. Originally submitted to the World Health Organization as part of a WHO-UNICEF initiative to implement the anti-violence Sustainable Development Goals relating to children. This white paper describes IJM experience and learnings from its field offices which address the issue of sexual assault of children. It discusses child and victim-friendly process throughout investigation and prosecution of child sexual assault and specific criminal justice capacities which are required to protect victims and deter predators.

Evaluation of the Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in the Philippines: 2003-2015

A Review of the Public Justice System’s Response to Labor Trafficking in Cambodia

The purpose of this baseline study was to document the scope and nature of child trafficking in Lake Volta’s fishing industry.

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in Angeles City, the Philippines

An evaluation of IJM’s 10-year program to combat sex trafficking of children in Cambodia

La explotación sexual comercial de NNA en la República Dominicana es un problema significativo. Otros estudios en los últimos 15 años han reportado consistentemente números altos de niñez explotada en esta industria. Sin embargo, no ha habido un estudio en años recientes que mida en tiempo real, la prevalencia de NNA en situación de ESC en la República Dominicana. Este estudio, ejecutado en el 2014, tiene como propósito llenar este vacío significativo de investigación con una medida estadística significativa, así como también proveer un punto de partida sólido a partir del cual se pueda evaluar la efectividad de las intervenciones conjuntas del gobierno e IJM en el combate a la ESC en los años que vienen.

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in the Dominican Republic

A mixed-methods assessment in Mukono County, Uganda assessing the prevalence of land theft (property grabbing) from widows as well as the justice system response to the crime.

Paper detailing a model to secure and protect widow and orphan land rights - presented at the World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, March 2014

Indicators of practice, process and resolution in cases of child sexual assault nationwide

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in three major Cambodian cities

A stakeholder analysis of change in Cambodia, 2000-2012

By IJM Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy Holly Burkhalter. Originally published in The Anti-Trafficking Review.

Interviews with incarcerated brothel owners and human traffickers in Cambodia

Summary of four-years of IJM partnership with local justice system actors and other stakeholders in Cebu, the Philippines

Assessment of five-year impact and change in the public justice system - Cebu, the Philippines