NICOLE KLIEST
Staff Writer
Senior Jonathan Hudson spent his sophomore year studying in Pepperdine’s Florence program. While most Pepperdine students spend their time overseas absorbed in Eurail and house drama, Hudson gathered much more while away.
He heard about human trafficking on a Spring Break mission trip to Albania attended by students from various overseas programs that year. It is there that Hudson first learned about the abductions of young girls who were forced to go into prostitution in Italy.
“It blew me away,” Hudson said. “It was then and there I vowed to do whatever I could.”
Upon returning to campus, Hudson found his outlet in Pepperdine’s chapter of International Justice Mission. Hudson, now president of the club, does his part by working to “inspire vision” and “engage the community” on campus.
Human trafficking is only one on a long list of social concerns touted by the club with chapters at college campuses like Pepperdine across the nation.
IJM’s official Web site explains that it is a human rights agency aimed at rescuing people around the world who are victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression.
Hudson said the club has a threefold purpose: to pray for resolution of social ills, to bring awareness of injustice to the community and to raise support for IJM’s national and international work.
“Prayer is our most effective weapon in the fight against global evil,” Hudson said. “We also seek to support other organizations fighting for the same causes.”
Pepperdine is the first university to have a law school chapter of IJM. First year law student Elizabeth Alvarez, who was highly involved as an undergrad student with the IJM chapter at Abilene Christian University, co-wrote the constitution for Pepperdine’s first graduate IJM chapter.
“The focus and goal of IJM,” Alvarez said, “Is to use existing laws and infrastructures to help rescue people who are victims of oppression.”
Hudson and Alvarez said they plan to take advantage of Pepperdine’s law school and undergraduate chapters to foster cooperation between the two.
“There are so many resources at the law school for this type of work,” Hudson said. “They bring unique assets, and we want to be able to compliment each other and work as a team.”
Pepperdine’s IJM chapter is unique in that it focuses on the spiritual aspect of social injustices, urging students to pray for both the victims and perpetrators of social injustices as well as for the safety of those who work to resolve the issues.
“The magnitude of the human rights issues is so daunting,” Alvarez said. “The people that work for IJM are out in the fields. They are giving everything they have for very little money to help people.”
Ashley Nolan, associate director of the Pepperdine Volunteer Center (PVC), said she agreed that the best way to support IJM and other organizations is to simply attend the events. Nolan said she hopes the programs like IJM on campus will inspire motivation in students and move them to want to make a difference.
“I think at times justice issues can seem very overwhelming.” Nolan said, “IJM has been successful in breaking these issues down and personalizing them. They educate in a way that is more approachable.”
Alvarez attributes the club’s rapidly increasing membership to this sense of approachability. Hudson said the club is now up to about 45 active members with a mailing list of more than 100. The club meets every Monday at 9 p.m. in CAC 304.
Hudson added that the club is open to working with others, to finding out “where God is moving” and try to help out.
For instance, IJM worked together with Intercultural Affairs and Amnesty International to put on events throughout the week of peace, hope and justice. The intent of the week’s events was not only to inform society about social injustices, but also to encourage them to use that knowledge.
“I think that as Americans we take simple things for granted,” Alvarez said. “We don’t realize that there are people all over the world who cannot even begin to dream what it is that we have.”
02-02-2006
