"Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."

– Psalm 28: 6-7

Africa & Europe

• Praise God for police commitment in Ghana to training officers on how to recognize and combat human trafficking. IJM staff were also able to hold their first joint meeting with all regional police commanders recently. Pray for this continued commitment on the part of police, and for the rescue of many children as a result.

Latin America

• Give thanks that the first step to declare child marriage unconstitutional in the Dominican Republic was successfully completed last week. Over two months ago, our team urged the Dominican Supreme Court to review certain laws that allow children younger than 15 years old to get married with special permission. Last week was a critical week for this process, as a first virtual hearing was held in court, which sets in motion the process to review our request. Continue praying that this request would move forward quickly and pray for wisdom for the Supreme Court authorities, for them to rule with justice to protect the most vulnerable.

South Asia

• Praise God with our teams in South Asia as they reflect on the dramatic transformation of the local justice system over the last 20 years. They are especially grateful for the way that God has enabled survivors to play a critical role in comforting and advocating for those who have just been rescued, using the pain they've endured for good. One survivor advocate even shared, "I want other survivors to experience the same happiness, comfort, and security that I now have. It is not right for us to experience goodness and not share it with others."

Southeast Asia

• Praise God for a rescue this week that resulted in the arrest of 5 suspects and rescue of 15 victims from online sexual exploitation. This rescue was able to happen through great collaboration between Philippine authorities, Australian law enforcement and IJM. Pray for continued, strong, collaborative efforts with international law enforcement, and for these survivors as they receive care.

IJM HQ & Global Partners

IJM headquarters is located in the United States. IJM has international advancement offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

• Praise God for the skilled people He has brought to IJM North America, especially over the past year and even during this pandemic. It has been a fruitful, but intense season, as the team is launching multiple new systems and technology platforms to help better connect our supporters with the work. Continue praying for long-term endurance and renewing rest for the division as a whole as they work to implement new, socially-distanced ways of engaging with supporters.