When The Exodus Road’s team of advocates in the Philippines got a tip about a bar that was offering minors for sexual services, they immediately responded. The same day they received the report, they were able to help police remove one teenager from the bar. But in talking to her, they quickly learned a sobering fact: more girls like her were still trapped.
In order to shut down the sex trafficking operation, they knew they’d need a strong case. So The Exodus Road’s investigators went to work building evidence.
They found that two women — whom the girls called “Mommy” and “Aunt” — were grooming and luring girls and young women into their operation. The names represented a facade of care that obscured horrible exploitation.
The younger girls were forced to stay confined to “Mommy’s” house when they weren’t working at the bar. This made it hard for officials to find them. They’d been kept beyond help, seemingly beyond hope.
But The Exodus Road found them.
After visiting the bar and freeing a few adult women, law enforcement and The Exodus Road’s team went on to “Mommy’s” house. They found additional teenage girls there, terrified and distressed. A government social worker comforted them, assuring them they’d be taken care of.
Meanwhile, both female perpetrators were arrested. Their manipulation and abuse of these women will face serious penalties in court, where their case has already been filed.
These 10 young women are now safe at an aftercare shelter. Their freedom has been restored.
These survivors of sex trafficking have experienced terrible exploitation. Through supporting The Exodus Road, you have replaced that abuse with safety and care. Thank you for making hope possible for these girls!
