Our teams in the field continue to smash records, intercepting more people in a month than ever before. In July we hit our highest record yet with 1,812 people intercepted to prevent them from being trafficked. These are some of their stories that your giving makes possible.
South Asia: Three Women Lured with Domestic Work, Intercepted at Border Before Being Forced into Prostitution
Kritika* was a single mother struggling to make ends meet, and she desperately needed to find a good job to support her family. One day while wandering around a local fair, she met a man named Pharoj*. After their initial meeting, he began calling her incessantly with tempting job offers that sounded too good to be true. Kritika didn't believe his offers and asked him to stop calling her. She blocked his number, but Pharoj was not so easily dissuaded; he simply passed her number on to his friend Manish.*
She finally gave in and accepted a job as a domestic helper in a neighboring country, and Manish booked a flight for her to the border town where she would cross illegally. She was hesitant to go to another country by herself, so she invited her younger sister, Bina,* and her friend, Achal*—also single mothers looking for job opportunities. But when they arrived in the border town, Manish abruptly changed his story and informed them that they would actually have to engage in prostitution to earn a high salary. Kritika was shocked by this sudden change, but Manish assured her that it was only optional for more money.
When it came time to cross, it was not Manish who brought them to the border but Pharoj. He instructed them to cross separately and to lie if anyone stopped them for questioning. Thankfully, our staff noticed the three females and quickly recognized several inconsistencies in their stories. They eventually uncovered the truth and helped the women file a case against Pharoj and Manish.
Malawi: Team Intercepts 37 People Being Lured to South Africa; One Suspect Arrested
Our monitors noticed 37 people sitting in groups at the Mozambique border who appeared to be waiting for someone. They discovered that a woman commonly known as Aunt Maria* had promised them jobs in South Africa and instructed them to board mini-buses to the border, where she and others within her network would help them cross illegally.
The 37 people were traveling without passports or legal travel documents and did not know their final destinations or the type of work they would be doing. These red flags indicated a high risk of being trafficked. Our monitors took them to the police station to report the situation and ask for assistance. The police investigated and managed to locate and arrest one of the suspects. Meanwhile, our staff educated the group on the dangers of human trafficking and then repatriated them to their respective districts with the assistance of a police escort.
Uganda: Three Teens Promised Jobs As Soccer Players, Intercepted Before Exploitation
Our staff intercepted three teenagers on their way to a suburb in Kampala. A recruiter had convinced them to accept jobs as soccer players with a salary almost double the normal pay for semi-professional soccer players and paid for their transportation to Kampala.
Upon further investigation, our team uncovered multiple red flags and confirmed that the recruiter had deceived them about the promised opportunity. Furthermore, the teens were heading to a “job” that takes years of development in an academy to attain. The team educated the minors about human trafficking and explained that they were most likely being trafficked for exploitative labor. They facilitated the teens’ safe journey back home later that same day.
Sierra Leone: 8-Year-Old Boy at High Risk of Being Trafficked, Intercepted at Border
Abu* is an 8-year-old boy that our team intercepted at the Guinea border. He was attempting to cross the border illegally to meet a woman in Conakry when our monitors stopped him. The woman had told Abu to meet her and then arranged for a man to pick him up at a motor park in Guinea and transport him to Conakry. Our team believes that Abu would have most likely been sold into slavery in Conakry—forced to beg on the streets. Thankfully, he was intercepted by our monitors and then taken back to his family, who had been frantically looking for him for two days.
Namibia: Team Intercepts Girl Lured from Home by Man She Recently Met Online
Our monitors intercepted a young Namibian female who was traveling to meet a man she had recently met online. She told our team that it was her first time traveling and that the man had paid for all her expenses including her flight tickets. During questioning, she revealed that the man would often ask her to send him explicit content in exchange for money. She also shared that her mother had advised her to go meet him because she would be able to get more money from him. Based on all this information, our staff intercepted her to keep her safe.
Mozambique: Team Intercepts Young Man Traveling for Suspicious Work; Case Filed!
Our team recently intercepted Amon*, an impoverished 21-year-old man traveling for promised work. He left his rural village to travel to Maputo because a man named Germano* had offered him a job working as a street vendor there. Germano promised him a monthly salary almost double the usual pay as well as free lodging and food. Amon accepted the job offer without hesitation, and Germano instructed him on how to travel to Maputo. He gave Amon transportation money with the understanding that Amon would repay him as soon as he started working. It was the first time Amon had traveled from the countryside to the city, and he did not have a cell phone or enough resources to stay safe. He had arranged to meet Germano at the bus station, which is where our team found him sitting on a bench, waiting for Germano to arrive.
After hearing Amon’s story, our team was concerned for his safety. They counseled him about human trafficking and labor exploitation and then contacted Germano to further assess the situation. Germano told a very different story, saying that he had not promised Amon any type of work. When our staff continued to ask questions, he disconnected the call and turned off his cell phone. Germano’s behavior confirmed our staff’s suspicions that he was luring Amon with a false promise of employment. They took Amon to the police station and helped him file a case against Germano, then provided him with food and helped him get home safely.
It may be easy to wonder why these people would take such risks for opportunities that seem clearly untrustworthy. But remember, traffickers prey on vulnerabilities––especially poverty. To someone in a desperate situation, the possibility of a life-changing opportunity may cause them to overlook potential warning signs.
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*All data and statistics current at the date and time of publishing. Names changed and some specific locations excluded for privacy and security purposes. Images are representative and do not picture actual victims.
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