Update from IJM
Commons supports the IJM field office in Thailand that provides citizenship access to marginalized people groups.
Citizenship is perhaps the most basic protection humans have developed. Without it, no country has to defend you. No hospital has to care for you. No school has to educate you. No employer has to properly pay you. If you are wronged, there is no recourse. If your child is harmed, there is no justice. The UN says that not having citizenship is the single greatest factor making a girl or woman vulnerable to exploitation like sex trafficking.
Below is a quick prayer update and report from Thailand. Please read through and continue to pray for those who live and work in Thailand.
Thank you for continuing to support us in prayer.
Praise God had 913 children received citizenship yesterday! Government officials are frequently overwhelmed by the amount of work they have, and as a result, reviewing applications for citizenship is often not a priority. This province had not processed any applications for more than three years before the Governor invited IJM to help check and process applications. Praise God that these children can now live in freedom in their homeland!
IJM Chiang Mai has recently hired a new investigator. Praise God for this individual and pray that they would work well with the child sexual assault team and would be a blessing to the office and the children of Northern Thailand.
When children who have been abused are required to testify about their abuse, this can be emotionally challenging and risks slowing the process of healing from their abuse. Thank God that a suspect confessed to his crimes at a preliminary hearing this week, and that as a result, the survivor will not have to testify.
Last month, the Royal Thai Government radically extended eligibility for citizenship and simplified the process of granting citizenship to eligible applicants. Thank God for this change! Ask God to grant wisdom and discernment to our citizenship rights abuse staff as they seek to partner with local government officials to enforce this new law.
In Christ
IJM Thailand
