MISSION STATEMENT
To mobilize the church and community to protect the vulnerable from human trafficking
VISION STATEMENT
A world without trafficking and where the most vulnerable are valued and protected by all
GOALS
To end human trafficking through an emphasis on reducing the demand and educating the community
IHIJC HISTORY
IHIJC began in February 2016 as a team of concerned people at First Baptist Church of Mt Holly looking to host an A21 Walk for Freedom. Compelled by the inherent evil of human trafficking and shocked by its presence right in our own backyards, we set out to do something. The enthusiasm of this initial group drove the team to plan other events in addition to the Walk for Freedom. Partnering with other churches and community organizations, In His Image Justice Coalition (IHIJC) was born.
WHAT MAKES IHIJC UNIQUE?
While there are many organizations in South Jersey fighting the problem of human trafficking, IHIJC’s justice-based approach is unique. Changes in law enforcement practices and cultural attitudes are addressed, empowering communities to no longer tolerate the exploitation of their children. IHIJC is working to equip communities to eliminate the underlying driver of human trafficking, the buyers, through equitable legal consequences.
WHAT PROPELS IHIJC?
Some of the most proven and effective methods traffickers use to keep their victims under their control is to devalue, degrade and humiliate their victims. Those caught in the grip of trafficking are convinced they have no worth and no life other than the nightmare of the sex slave. IHIJC affirms the very opposite: that each of these victims has worth beyond measure in God’s eyes and are made in His very image. We seek for survivors to walk in the freedom and love that God intended for them.
WHAT IS OUR DREAM?
We, at In His Image Justice Coalition, dream of a world without trafficking, where the vulnerable are valued, protected, and lifted up, where the community refuses to live side by side with violence and the degradation of others. We dream of a world where there is no demand for commercial sex. We dream of a community informed to recognize the signs of trafficking, and mobilized to report suspicious activity. We dream of children who are informed of the dangers of trafficking and are able to protect themselves, and of parents, teachers, medical workers, etc. who are also well informed and on the lookout for exploitation, and are willing to provide the love and security that each child needs so that they don’t go looking for it elsewhere. We look to a world where little boys are brought up to value women and to refute the idea that a woman is a commodity to be used. We dream of a place where there is no poverty, no child abuse or neglect, no predators looking to exploit children for their own benefit. We look towards a future where every adult says, concerning human trafficking, “Not on my watch!”.