International Justice Mission

IJM's mission is to protect people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts. It partners with governments and local authorities to strengthen justice systems rather than working around them.

Gary Haugen founded IJM in 1997 after witnessing the Rwandan genocide. It opened offices across Asia, Africa and Latin America through the 2000s, and its model has shown results — trafficking dropped 79% in the Philippines and 73% in Cambodia. IJM is active in 19 countries today and says it has protected more than 10 million people since it began.

Over the last four years, IJM has helped relieve the equivalent of one person every hour from violence. In 2025 alone it helped relieve 12,224 children, women and men from violence, and trained 44,946 officials to better protect their communities.

From our records IJM is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights and law enforcement. It was founded in 1997 by lawyer Gary Haugen in Washington, D.C. All IJM employees are required to be practicing Christians, and 94% are nationals of the countries they work in.