The principal reason millions of the world’s poorest people suffer abuse is often not the absence of good laws, but the absence of a functioning justice system to enforce those laws. When criminals who seek to abuse, exploit, or oppress people are free to do so with little or no risk of being caught or punished, people in poverty are left vulnerable.

While other poverty alleviation efforts, like healthcare and education, can be outsourced to external organizations, the local justice system’s responsibility to protect their people in poverty from violence cannot. This protection must come from the local government, for the local community. And until the issue of unchecked violence is addressed, it will continue to undermine all other development efforts (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2019)

Your support will scale our proven model of justice system strengthening through an expansive network of on-the-ground partnerships, reducing crime and delivering protection for children, women and men who need it most.

Together, we can help create a world where all are free and safe.