Yada* and Pleng* were just 14 and 15 years old. Maybe you can remember how you spent your time at that age: going to school, hanging out with friends, listening to music, experimenting with clothes and makeup, and dreaming about what kind of future you’d have once you grew up.
That’s not what life looked like for Yada and Pleng. They were being sold to much older men for sex.
Their trafficker lived in their community and advertised the girls in social media groups. Using code terms, the exploitive older woman shared advertisements and brokered deals. Then, she would force the girl to go meet with clients.
Our team carefully watches groups like this, knowing that social media is consistently one of the most prevalent methods of recruitment in our cases. They know what warning signs and coded language to look for. When they saw Yada and Pleng for sale, their ages blatantly displayed, investigators knew they had grounds to mobilize law enforcement.
Police from two different agencies joined forces to support freedom for the girls. When they arrived on the scene, Yada and Pleng were frightened and anxious. They did not know who to trust, and they felt wary of the police officers.
Fortunately, social workers were there to emotionally support them. The girls have been transitioned into aftercare services where they can work on healing from the horrific trauma that they have endured.
Meanwhile, their trafficker is in jail, awaiting prosecution under human trafficking law.
Image representative. Social media is consistently one of the most prevalent methods of recruitment in our cases. In this case, investigators saw Yada and Pleng for sale, their ages blatantly displayed, and they knew they had grounds to mobilize law enforcement.
For one of the police departments, this kind of case and successful action was new. Seeing the outcome and being able to celebrate the freedom of two young teenagers has strengthened their resolve to continue pursuing trafficking in their community.
