IJM Findings and Studies

Proving Justice for People in Poverty is Possible

We believe the children, families and communities we serve deserve the very best. We owe it to them – and to those who make our work possible – to ensure that our work is effective. That’s why we base the design and management of our programs on evidence we collect through rigorous documentation, monitoring and evaluation.

Here’s how it works:

1) START WITH MEASUREMENT

When we begin a new program to combat a specific form of violence in a community, we measure the prevalence of the crime we are targeting, and we assess how the justice system responds to it.

2) TRACK CHANGES

Throughout our work in a community, we measure and analyse changes in how police, judges and other actors and institutions in the public justice system respond to the crime we are targeting. We also continue to assess how prevalent the crime is, watching for changes.

3) ENSURE PEOPLE ARE SAFER

We use this critical information to ensure that the justice system’s response to the crime is truly improving, and that these improvements are actually making vulnerable people safer from the targeted form of violence – our ultimate goal.

4) SHARE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED

We grow the impact by sharing what we’ve learned with key stakeholders in the communities where we work, and with audiences around the world.

Scale of Harm Summary Report

IJM undertook the Scale of Harm study over the course of two years, in partnership with the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab in the U.K, survivor consultants and 24 world-class experts, researchers, and field practitioners from organizations across the technology, financial, government, and child protection sectors, including the Australian Institute of Criminology and former director of AUSTRAC, Lynne Walker.

Survivor focus groups helped identify gaps in awareness and understanding of trafficking for the production of CSEM as well as gaps in public knowledge on how to identify exploitative online behaviour. They also shared tactics employed by traffickers to conceal illegal activities and cited socio-cultural factors contributing to underreporting, particularly in cases with ongoing victim-trafficker relationships.

The study revealed nearly half a million Filipino children, or roughly 1 in 100, were trafficked in 2022 to produce child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) for profit.

Read the report summary

Explore IJM Studies and Papers

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26 studies found

Scale of Harm
AUTHOR International Justice Mission & University of Nottingham Rights Lab
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study
PUBLICATION DATE September, 2023
COUNTRY Philippines
SUBJECT Cybersex trafficking of children
Spot Fires In Supply Chains
AUTHOR IJM Australia
RESOURCE TYPE Article or White Paper
PUBLICATION DATE May, 2022
COUNTRY Australia
SUBJECT Modern Slavery in Supply Chains
Online Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Philippines
AUTHOR IJM, TIP Office and IACAT
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study
PUBLICATION DATE May, 2020
COUNTRY Philippines
SUBJECT Cybersex trafficking of children
An Endline Study of the Prevalence of Property Grabbing among Widows In Mukono County, Uganda, and the Response of the Justice System (2018)

Uganda Endline Study:

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Endline Study
PUBLICATION DATE December, 2018
COUNTRY Uganda
SUBJECT Land theft
Final Evaluation of Program to Combat Sexual Violence Against Children and Adolescents in Guatemala 2005-2017

IJM Guatemala External Evaluation Report:

AUTHOR ARS Progetti
RESOURCE TYPE Program Evaluation
PUBLICATION DATE December, 2018
COUNTRY Guatemala
SUBJECT Sexual Violence Against Children
The Criminal Justice System Response to Child Sexual Assault in Guatemala: 2013–2017

IJM Guatemala Endline Performance Study:

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Endline Study
PUBLICATION DATE December, 2018
COUNTRY Guatemala
SUBJECT Sexual Violence Against Children
External Evaluation of IJM’s Property Grabbing Program in Mukono County, Uganda

IJM Property Grabbing Program in Uganda:

An external evaluation of IJM’s 2012-2017 program to address land theft (property grabbing) from widows by strengthening the public justice system response.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Program Evaluation
PUBLICATION DATE August, 2018
COUNTRY Uganda
SUBJECT Land theft
Justice Review: A Journal of Protection and Justice for the Poor

IJM Justice Review:

The second edition of IJM’s Justice Review is a compendium of studies of forced, trafficked labor commissioned by International Justice Mission. This edition includes substantial summaries of full-length prevalence reports on bonded labor in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore, India; child labor slavery in Ghana; and trafficked labor in Thailand’s fishing industry. It also includes studies of the capacity of the Cambodian and Thai governments’ criminal justice systems to address labor trafficking. Links to the majority of the full-length reports are included.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Other Study Type
PUBLICATION DATE August, 2018
COUNTRY Multiple Countries
SUBJECT Forced Labour
Assessment of Survivor Outcomes Validation Study (ASO)

ASO Validation Study:

The Assessment of Survivor Outcomes (ASO) tool, developed by International Justice Mission is a valid and reliable tool for measuring progress toward restoration and outcomes for survivors who are recovering from various forms of violence and exploitation.

Explore the ASO Tool: www.ijm.org/aso

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Validation Study
PUBLICATION DATE July, 2018
COUNTRY Multiple Countries
SUBJECT Assessment of Survivor Outcomes
Child Sex Trafficking in Metro Manila

IJM Manila:

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in Metro Manila, the Philippines

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study
PUBLICATION DATE May, 2018
COUNTRY Philippines
SUBJECT Child Sex Trafficking in Metro Manila
Not In The Same Boat

IJM Not In The Same Boat:

AUTHOR Issara Institute, International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study
PUBLICATION DATE September, 2017
COUNTRY Thailand
SUBJECT Forced Labour
Evaluation of the Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in the Philippines: 2003-2015

Philippines CSEC Program Evaluation:

Evaluation of the Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in the Philippines: 2003-2015

AUTHOR Dr. Robin Haarr
RESOURCE TYPE Program Evaluation
PUBLICATION DATE August, 2017
COUNTRY Philippines
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
Child Sexual Assault: Practice and Learnings

Inspire CSA Recommendations:

By Holly Burkhalter, Senior Advisor for Justice System Transformation. Originally submitted to the World Health Organization as part of a WHO-UNICEF initiative to implement the anti-violence Sustainable Development Goals relating to children. This white paper describes IJM experience and learnings from its field offices which address the issue of sexual assault of children. It discusses child and victim-friendly process throughout investigation and prosecution of child sexual assault and specific criminal justice capacities which are required to protect victims and deter predators.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Article or White Paper
PUBLICATION DATE August, 2017
COUNTRY Multiple Countries
SUBJECT Policy recommendations on child sexual assault
Labour Trafficking in Cambodia

Labour Trafficking in Cambodia – A Review of the PJSS Response:

A Review of the Public Justice System’s Response to Labour Trafficking in Cambodia.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Other Study Type
PUBLICATION DATE November, 2016
COUNTRY Cambodia
SUBJECT Forced Labour
Child Sex Trafficking in Angeles City

IJM Pampanga:

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in Angeles City, the Philippines

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study
PUBLICATION DATE October, 2016
COUNTRY Philippines
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
Child Trafficking into Forced Labour on Lake Volta, Ghana

IJM Ghana Report:

The purpose of this baseline study was to document the scope and nature of child trafficking in Lake Volta’s fishing industry.

AUTHOR Kirsten Singleton, Katrina B. Stone, Julie Stricker
RESOURCE TYPE Article or White Paper
PUBLICATION DATE October, 2016
COUNTRY Ghana
SUBJECT Forced Labour
External Evaluation of IJM’s Program to Combat Sex Trafficking of Children in Cambodia, 2004-2014

2015 Evaluation of IJM CSEC Program in Cambodia (Final Report):

An evaluation of IJM’s 10-year program to combat sex trafficking of children in Cambodia.

AUTHOR Dr. Robin Haarr
RESOURCE TYPE Program Evaluation
PUBLICATION DATE December, 2015
COUNTRY Cambodia
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Dominican Republic

IJM Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children In The Dominican Republic:

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in the Dominican Republic.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study
PUBLICATION DATE April, 2015
COUNTRY Dominican Republic
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
Property Grabbing from Ugandan Widows and the Public Justice System Response

IJM Propery Grabbing From Ugandan Widows And The Justice System:

A mixed-methods assessment in Mukono County, Uganda assessing the prevalence of land theft (property grabbing) from widows as well as the justice system response to the crime.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study Public Justice System Performance Study
PUBLICATION DATE October, 2014
COUNTRY Uganda
SUBJECT Land theft
Strengthening the Performance of the Ugandan Public Justice System

Uganda World Bank Paper:

Paper detailing a model to secure and protect widow and orphan land rights – presented at the World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, March 2014.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Article or White Paper
PUBLICATION DATE March, 2014
COUNTRY Uganda
SUBJECT Land theft
Guatemalan Criminal Justice System Performance Study, 2008-2012

Guatemala Public Justice System Performance Study:

Indicators of practice, process and resolution in cases of child sexual assault nationwide.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Public Justice System Performance Study
PUBLICATION DATE August, 2013
COUNTRY Guatemala
SUBJECT Sexual Violence Against Children
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Cambodia

CSEC Prevalence, Cambodia:

A study measuring the prevalence of children in commercial sexual exploitation in three major Cambodian cities.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Crime Prevalence Study
PUBLICATION DATE March, 2013
COUNTRY Cambodia
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
Sex Trafficking, Law Enforcement and Perpetrator Accountability

Sex Trafficking, Law Enforcement, and Perpetrator Accountability:

By IJM Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy Holly Burkhalter. Originally published in The Anti-Trafficking Review.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Article or White Paper
PUBLICATION DATE June, 2012
COUNTRY Multiple Countries
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
From Inside Prison Walls

From Inside Prison Walls PDF Study:

Interviews with incarcerated brothel owners and human traffickers in Cambodia.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Other Study Type
PUBLICATION DATE October, 2011
COUNTRY Cambodia
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
Project Lantern Results Summary

Cebu “Project Lantern” Results Summary:

Summary of four-years of IJM partnership with local justice system actors and other stakeholders in Cebu, the Philippines.

AUTHOR International Justice Mission
RESOURCE TYPE Article or White Paper
PUBLICATION DATE January, 2011
COUNTRY Philippines
SUBJECT Sex trafficking
Evaluation of “Project Lantern”

Cebu “Project Lantern” Impact Assessment:

Assessment of five-year impact and change in the public justice system – Cebu, the Philippines.

AUTHOR Andrew Jones and Associates
RESOURCE TYPE Impact Study
PUBLICATION DATE October, 2010
COUNTRY Philippines
SUBJECT Sex trafficking