Lush tourist resorts. An unassuming restaurant. The ordinary rooms of a parent’s house.
These are some of the places where more than 25 women and girls were being trafficked for sex in one country in Asia, undisclosed for security purposes.
Over the span of a few weeks, The Exodus Road’s U.S. and Asia teams collaborated to follow leads on multiple different kinds of human trafficking exploitation. Some of the girls and women they sought to find were being trafficked through traditional means in a busy red-light district. Others were being advertised for escort services, sent to meet clients at the site of their choosing. And some were just children, living with parents who exploited them through sexual livestreams sold to foreigners.
The expertise brought to the table by both of our teams allowed us to respond with speed and agility to each of these unique situations. With law enforcement partners, our investigators and advocates intervened in a series of operations executed in quick succession.
Across multiple operations, they found and recovered more than 25 girls and young women in total. Every one of these survivors had endured abuse that left them in need of long-term, lasting care — heartbreakingly, some had been trafficked by family members, and others were trafficked by teenagers who had once been exploited themselves. All of the survivors have been placed with trusted aftercare partners who can offer them that care.
In total, six perpetrators were arrested. Those who are 18 and older are facing trial for trafficking. Those who are still just teenagers themselves will be going through the juvenile justice system and restorative rehabilitation.
Progress for freedom at this extensive level is only possible because of the role you play in supporting our teams around the world. Thank you!
