Joy's Story

Joy’s name reflects her spirit: full of life, fun-loving and warm to all who meet her.

This spirit is always on display in her work as a licensed social worker in the Philippines. She is also a proud member and active survivor leader in the Philippine Survivor Network, walking alongside her fellow survivors in their healing journeys. When she’s not working or volunteering, she’s spending time with her family.

But this brave young woman had to fight to get to where she is today.

Because when she was just ten years old, she was lured into online sexual exploitation. “I was so scared, nervous and confused,” she remembers. Her abuse was live streamed for foreign customers who were willing to pay to watch online.

The exploitation went on for years and throughout, Joy’s loneliness and confusion persisted. She didn’t know how to tell her friends or family what was happening or how to ask for help. All she wanted was to be free. Yet, “during those times… I wondered if a brighter future was possible for me.”

i'm standing with joy

What Joy didn’t know at the time is that she wasn’t alone. IJM teams in the Philippines and local law enforcement were looking for her. Steadfast IJM supporters stood with them from all the way across the world in Canada, ensuring teams had the funds and support to keep going.

Seven years after the abuse and exploitation started, rescue came! Joy and 16 other children were found, brought to safety, and set up with personalized aftercare plans to start their healing journeys.

Joy stayed in an aftercare shelter, steadfastly finishing her high school courses, working with a psychotherapist on her healing and enrolling at a local university.

stand for justice

Today, she isn’t just surviving—she’s thriving. She’s using her experiences to help other survivors heal. She’s traveled the world, sharing her story and advocating for change.

“I am now willing to fight,” Joy declares. “I won’t let what happened to me before happen again. Seeking justice for me is very important. It’s like freeing the hearts of those being victimized. I want to seek justice not just for myself but for all the others.”

She’s doing that by standing up in court against her abuser—the first survivor in her case to courageously do so. Despite the intimidation and threats she’s already received, she’s not backing down from the fight.

She will do whatever it takes to see justice in her lifetime. That includes inviting you—people across the world—to join her.

“We need more people in the fight to end slavery,” says Joy. “Perpetrators are powerful. But you are powerful, too, and we are more powerful together. We need you.”