FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 17, 2019, London, Ont.: London-based NGO International Justice Mission Canada today received the first installment of a financial gift totalling $2.5 million dollars from an anonymous donor. This financial gift is the largest the organization has received to date from an entity, public or private.
This significant financial gift will fund IJM’s work in Thailand, and the surrounding region, combatting forced labour slavery in the fishing industry. Current estimates state there are more than 40 million children, women, and men trapped in slavery in the world today.
“A gift of this size funds the scale and impact of our work exponentially,” says Kevin Dixon, Acting Executive Director of IJM Canada. “This anonymous donor has made it possible for us to continue to disrupt, and ultimately end, the devastating exploitation of individuals in the fishing industry.”
“There is much work still to be done to combat this crime; rescuing victims and securing convictions of traffickers requires cross-border collaboration between Thai, Cambodian, and Malaysian government authorities. IJM is committed to supporting the public justice system in each of these countries as it responds to the horrific scourge of slavery,” adds Dixon.
According to the Global Slavery Index, Canada imports over US$390 million worth of fish from countries suspected of having modern slavery in their fishing industries—including Thailand. In a 2016 study, IJM worked with the Issara Institute to survey Burmese and Cambodian fisherman and confirmed that trafficking of migrant fisherman on Thai fishing boats is widespread. Of those surveyed, more than a third had been trafficked in the five years prior to the survey.
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About International Justice Mission Canada
International Justice Mission Canada is part of a global organization protecting the poor from violence throughout the developing world. IJM partners with local authorities to rescue victims, bring criminals to justice, restore survivors and strengthen justice systems. Learn more at www.ijm.ca
Contact: Petra Kooman
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
media@ijm.ca
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