For millions of the world’s poorest people, violence is an urgent and everyday threat. For the International Justice Mission (IJM), it is the reason hundreds of lawyers, investigators, social workers, community activists and other professionals gather in nearly 20 developing communities worldwide.
IJM partnered with Lipscomb University, HumanDocs and Different Drummer to bring the third annual Justice Film Festival to Nashville Sept. 11-12.
The festival featured films from well-known and emerging filmmakers who move to inspire the community and live out justice in a broken world.
Offices for IJM are located in Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia. The poor in these communities are particularly vulnerable because their justice systems – the police, the courts and the laws – don’t protect them from violence.
“Four billion people worldwide live outside the law,” IJM director of mobilization Wayne Barnard said. “That is, 4 billion people live in a context where there is no 911. And if there were a 911 and you dialed it, no one would answer.”
IJM operates under four main goals: rescuing victims, restoring survivors, bringing criminals to justice and strengthening the justice systems.
“For poor people in the developing world, violence is relentless so we’re committed to being even more relentless,” Barnard said. “We rescue individuals one by one. That’s where our work starts, but that’s not where it ends.”
The mission was born as an idea in 1995 when founder Gary Haugen returned from leading an investigation of the Rwanda Genocide.
“Gary was working at that time with the U.S. Department of Justice and he was challenged by the reality of injustice in the developing world, injustice that is often ignored and rarely addressed by the rest of the world,” Barnard said.
IJM officially began in 1997 and has since rescued more than 23,000 people from violence and oppression. Their work continues to protect more than 21 million people globally from slavery, sexual violence, property grabbing and much more.
During the festival in Shamblin Theatre, several IJM short films documented the stories of young men and women the organization has helped lead to restoration.
Among these stories was the tale of Griselda, a young woman from Guatemala who was abducted at 13-years-old while walking home with her mother and brother. She was raped at gunpoint by three men.
The family reported the crime but could not afford legal representation on their own. When they found IJM, they were provided a strong attorney and a team of social workers who could help their daughter heal.
IJM helped police search for the men who had escaped on the day of the attack. All three men were arrested, tried and convicted for the abduction and rape of Griselda.
Now 19-years-old, Griselda plans to become a social worker to continue helping young women in the way IJM helped her.
“The really good news about injustice is that God hates it and he wants it to stop,” Barnard said. “His plan for fighting injustice is his people, the church. He has called us to show up in the darkest places imaginable to bring the light of truth and power of grace.”
For a full list of films played, visit the festival’s website or visit IJM’s website to learn more about their work.
Story by Becca Risley and Stephanie Schiraldi