Quick thinking and situational awareness can be the difference between ongoing exploitation and hope for a new start. This was true for our team recently in Latin America.

During recent routine surveillance, The Exodus Road’s investigators spotted two teenage girls, Lucia and Mariana (pseudonyms), sitting with much older men in a restaurant. The girls’ clothing was overly sexual for their age. They appeared uneasy and uncomfortable, despite the alcoholic drinks they were being encouraged to consume to calm them down. The men were inappropriately physical with them, even as the girls froze in fear.

Our investigators decided to gather more information.

When they struck up a conversation with the girls, they learned that these two teenagers had been desperate for food. Seeing an opportunity, a taxi driver picked them up and promised them money — they just had to offer him sexual favors first.

The driver didn’t stop at abusing these girls himself. He took them and introduced them to his criminal operation, where drivers delivered girls to clients who paid for sex. The girls felt trapped and stranded. They were hungry and alone, and they had nowhere to go. When they were dropped off to meet these older men, they felt they couldn’t refuse their predatory advances.

Once their suspicions were confirmed, our team could act. They removed the girls from the restaurant, quickly taking them to safety. They provided food, appropriate clothing, and shelter— offering them these essentials of life with no expectation of anything in return. Authorities got involved, strongly affirming to these teenagers that they have a right to safety, consent, and autonomy.