A Note From The Editor: In Darling Issue No. 10 we announced a new partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM), specifically partnering with their work to eradicate sex trafficking in the Dominican Republic. We’re excited to introduce the third in a series of update posts, taking you along and behind-the-scenes for a deeper look at how exactly that is being accomplished. 

IJM’s team has come alongside local Dominican authorities since late 2013 to rescue victims, bring criminals to justice, restore sex trafficking survivors, and strengthen the justice system so it can protect its most vulnerable children. By the end of May, we have helped rescue 20 victims and restrain eight traffickers and pimps in 2015.

A Note From The Editor: In Darling Issue No. 10 we announced a new partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM), specifically partnering with their work to eradicate sex trafficking in the Dominican Republic. We’re excited to introduce the second in a series of update posts, taking you along and behind-the-scenes for a deeper look at how exactly that is being accomplished. 

From IJM: Clarisa* was rescued from sexual exploitation in one of our first-ever cases in the Dominican Republic. We first met her in October 2014, and she shared with our team how she had been assaulted by a man who then trafficked her to another man. Both suspects threatened to hurt her if she ever dared to tell anyone.

Like many of the girls we’ve seen here, Clarisa is sweet and friendly, with big dreams but few opportunities to follow them. One of nine siblings raised in a poor and very dangerous neighborhood in Santo Domingo, the capital city, Clarisa is even more vulnerable to abuse than most. Though she is 14, she experiences the world much like a 6-year-old due to a developmental disability.

A Note From The Editor: In Darling Issue No. 10 we announced a new partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM), specifically partnering with their work to eradicate sex trafficking in the Dominican Republic. We’re excited to introduce the first in a series of update posts, taking you along and behind-the-scenes for a deeper look at how exactly that is being accomplished. 

A quick glance at today’s headlines shows a world plagued by bad news. The good stories — the tales of hope and renewal — rarely make the front page. But the front page only gives a sliver of insight into the realities of the injustice in our world today, and things aren’t always as they seem. There is beauty in broken moments, to be sure, but likewise also brokenness in the most beautiful of places.

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The Caribbean vacation destination is dotted with pristine white beaches, lavish resorts and a vibrant culture. It is also home to a rampant sex tourism industry. A recent study by International Justice Mission (IJM) found from the total of women and girls observed in prostitution and other situations of sexual exploitation, the prevalence of girls and children being sexually exploited to be 10%.

Where there is injustice, however, there is also hope. Hope for rescue and restoration. Hope for the return of dignity. Hope for a future not plagued by fear. How is IJM bringing such a hope?