Justice Investment Cuts Trafficking, Violence by Up to 85% – IJM

The International Justice Mission (IJM) has documented significant progress in combating human trafficking and violence across nine countries where governments have sustained investment in justice systems, according to remarks made at Ghana's National Justice Conference this week.

Andy Griffiths, IJM's President for Africa and Europe, told conference participants that countries achieving 50–85% reductions in trafficking and violence succeeded because national governments took ownership of reforms and committed resources to strengthen justice institutions. "The change happened because governments led the way," Mr Griffiths said, emphasizing that IJM's role is to support rather than replace government leadership.

Mr Griffiths outlined three critical factors for sustainable progress:

• Consistent public investment to keep justice systems operational
• Collaboration between government, civil society and survivor leaders
• Use of data to guide decisions and allocate resources effectively

He encouraged Ghana to adopt a similar approach, noting that the country's existing legal framework and Human Trafficking Fund provide a foundation for strengthening anti-trafficking efforts. "Sustained financing remains critical to ensuring that survivors receive support, investigations are properly conducted, and perpetrators are held accountable," Mr Griffiths said.

The remarks were delivered at the National Justice Conference, held under the theme "Sustainable Funding for Child Protection Against Labour Exploitation," which brought together government officials, civil society, law enforcement and other stakeholders. However, IJM has not yet identified the nine countries or released the underlying study supporting the figures presented.