Canada honours global justice advocate
LONDON, ON–As the founder and executive director of International Justice Mission Canada, Jamie McIntosh travels the world to take part in projects aimed at rescuing and seeking justice for the millions of people caught up in slavery and human trafficking.
But in early October, McIntosh had to work in a quick dash to Calgary to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the poor and the oppressed.
"I only found out in the week leading up to it, so it was a bit of a scramble to make my way out to Calgary for it. But it was certainly a nice problem to have," he says.
The Canadian government struck the medal to recognize men and women "who have made a significant contribution to a particular province, territory, region, or community within Canada, or an achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada."
"It is no exaggeration to say that Jamie's work and faith have transformed the lives of thousands of persons around the world," says Immigration and Citizenship Minister Jason Kenney, who presented the medal to McIntosh.
Yet McIntosh says the medal rightfully belongs to the growing number of Canadians who support the work of IJM Canada. He notes, for example, that the resources they donate to the ministry have increased "about ten-fold" in just the past six years.
"Hopefully this sends a message of hope," he says, "to those trying desperately to find their way out of the snares of those who have trapped and trafficked them, that Canadians are watching, and are banding together to reach out and help rescue the oppressed."
This fall, IJM Canada is also celebrating its tenth anniversary.
"We're highlighting how we've gone from the one to the many, from helping one individual in need to now the thousands who are being rescued," says McIntosh. "Over time, millions will be protected through the global work of International Justice Mission."
Some of its current projects, he says, include combating sex-trafficking in Cambodia, helping Thai hill-people attain citizenship, helping judges in Bolivia bring justice to abused children, and helping Ugandan widows and orphans recover the land that was stolen from them "sometimes at machete's edge." There are also two projects underway in India, one to restore the lives of girls rescued from sex traffickers, and another to rescue families trapped in forced-labour slavery.
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