US & International
New Zealand
18 Rescued & Nepal’s borders affected by lockdown
Travelling began to dwindle in Nepal as lockdowns were initiated district-by-district, but our teams still rescued women and girls until the day all borders closed. Our staff remains posted, caring for a few rescued girls stranded in our transitional homes during lockdown.
One of the girls, Juna, 15, met a young man on social media three months ago. They talked often and as their relationship grew, he told her he loved her and wanted to marry her. They made plans to meet at a landmark near the border, about two days journey from home. When she arrived, people in the area scrambled as an abrupt lockdown was announced by the government. The young man messaged Juna saying he wasn’t able to meet her, leaving her alone, far from home, and stranded in an unfamiliar place.
Our teams received a tip about her situation around 11 pm that night and jumped into action. Our rescue agents coordinated with the police and brought her to our safe home and counseled her on human trafficking. Our investigators attempted to contact her trafficker but he had switched off his phone. Because of the travel restrictions, she is staying in our transitional shelter until she can be reunited with her family. Her name has been changed to protect her identity.
Rescue Update Archive
Raid in the Philippines Rescues 14
Three girls, five boys, along with five young women, are now free after police–aided by our agents–completed a successful raid!
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After receiving a tip that a pimp was bragging about selling underage boys and girls on social media, our agents went to law enforcement and together began to build a case. That pimp, along with three accomplices, was arrested during the raid.
48 girls rescued in Zimbabwe
All the survivors, aged 13-17, had been forced to sell themselves just to stay alive. While suffering terribly at the hands of their abusers, the girls often can only make enough money to buy their next meal.
26 children in Kenya no longer have to sell themselves to survive
The children, two of whom were boys, were between 10 and 17 years old. After rescue, all survivors begin their journey toward freedom with the support of our compassionate team of counselors and caseworkers.
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You can read more about our new region of rescue and the work we’re doing there on our blog.
63 Rescued at the Nepal Border
Join us in celebrating the 63 individuals rescued last month by our heroic border agents in Nepal! The women and girls were between 14 and 36 years old.
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After rescue, survivors may choose to prosecute their traffickers, though many forgo that option to avoid the negative community stigma. Every survivor is counseled on how to spot and avoid traffickers in the future.
17 survivors rescued in the Dominican Republic
It was a valiant, collaborative effort alongside our partners in law enforcement in the Dominican Republic to help these survivors achieve freedom from abuse. Their rescue culminated in 16 cases being closed by Dominican authorities, with 16 perps arrested!
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One of those cases involved the sex trafficking of two individuals, while the rest were victims of sex crimes. You can read more about how we rescue here.
