A trafficking network spanning Europe and Latin America shut down

Two young women had been so severely disoriented through abuse that it may have been hard to keep track of what country they were in.

They’d left the warmth of their Latin American home for a cold European country, chasing the security of stable employment. Instead, they found themselves among many other women with confiscated passports, drugged into a mental haze, forced into sexual exploitation. Any resistance resulted in being beaten and threatened by their traffickers. Even when the abuse left them badly wounded, they were denied access to essential medical care.

Law enforcement in their home country began to receive reports of young women disappearing. They called on The Exodus Road’s team of investigators to help.

Law enforcement made a few simultaneous arrests, bringing the network to an end. (Image Representative)

Our investigators were able to track down some of the network’s key recruiters by mapping very limited online information about their common locations, despite the challenges of following them across continents. Law enforcement made a few simultaneous arrests, bringing the network to an end.

Meanwhile, the two survivors were left deeply traumatized and psychologically scarred. They have been taken into protective services to ensure no one connected to their traffickers can harm them again.

International cases like this are complicated — and tragically, increasingly common. We can only step in on behalf of these survivors who were stranded because of your support. Thank you!