The headline tells the story: "Cambodia’s Child Sex Industry Is Dwindling— And They Have Christians to Thank." IJM has been on the ground in Cambodia since 2003, working to protect the poor and the vulnerable from violence. Prior to 2016, the focus of the work in our office was combating child sex trafficking. The cover story in the June 2017 issue of Christianity Today does a nice job of telling a most remarkable story of transformation. The most significant change has been within the public justice system itself, which now routinely investigates and prosecutes these cases. That is one of IJM's primary goals: system transformation. The hope is to reform the way the criminal justice system works, and for IJM to literally work itself out of a job. That happens through a blend of rescuing victims, prosecuting criminals, restoring survivors, engaging the community, and building up the capacity of the police, prosecutors, and judges. With God's help, there has been miraculous success. The prevalence of child sex trafficking has plummeted.

Because of the tremendous progress on this issue, IJM transitioned its work in Cambodia to the problem of labor trafficking just over a year ago. The article briefly mentions our new project, but it mostly celebrates the work that has already been done. It is a great success story, and I hope you will take the time to read it. (And hey -- that's my boss in the picture! What a great privilege to work with a true hero every day!)

- Doug