Anu George Canjanathoppil on Why You Can’t End Poverty Without Ending Violence and What It Will Take To End the Slavery of 14 Million People
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This week we feature a special bonus conversation between Jason and the Executive Director of International Justice Mission Canada, Anu George Canjanathoppil. Throughout the interview, she shares her own story and upbring that led her to pursue a role advocating for justice. She also speaks to the work of IJM, their vision for a slave-free future, and how pastors might partner with them to join the fight. Anu is a gifted and passionate leader who God has uniquely positioned to work towards to abolition of slavery.
Growing up, Anu had a family unlike many in India. Her father treated their family well, saw her mom as equal, and taught Anu to work hard and be a leader. As she looked around though, Anu was struck by the common occurrences of injustice and violence and sought to find ways to stop them. Her love for street theatre led her to use it as a medium to speak against cultural norms and she eventually went on to get her MBA and complete law school. However, in her early twenties she experienced violence that left her bed-ridden and almost paralyzed. When an opportunity arose for her to work with IJM, it seemed almost too close to home, yet also the perfect fit for what her life’s journey had brought so far. She spent time doing rescue missions and field work in India before moving into her Canadian role in 2019.
“The world depends on you for a response. The difference between a person being free and continuing to be a slave depends on your response. The urgency of a person being alive or dying a slave depends on your response.”
The work of IJM is so important because it’s founded on the idea that without stopping violence, efforts to alleviate poverty are not sustained. Education, access to clean water, and healthcare all matter, but if people are at risk of violence and their justice systems can not, or will not protect them, then improvements will not last. This is what IJM International Founder Gary Haugen coined the Locust Effect.
If you or your church are interested in partnering with IJM to rescue millions from modern-day slavery and to help end slavery in our lifetime, head to www.ijm.ca. If you want to run a Freedom Sunday to talk about justice and ending slavery, IJM has also compiled a kit of resources including graphics, sermon outlines, videos and more that can be found here.
Aaron White
Aaron White is the National Director of 24-7 Prayer Canada. He has been a pastor, missioner, justice worker and prayer instigator in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for the past 16 years, where he lives with his wife and four children in a community home. He is the co-author of Revolution and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Kingdom of God; co-creator of The Creative Way Down discipleship resource; and author of the upcoming book Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community.