Exclusive Update | Love Justice International

Sierra Leone | February 24

LJI Sierra Leone intercepted eight children, some very young, who were passing through the forests heading toward illegal crossing points into Guinea. During questioning, our team found out they would then be taken into Gambia where child trafficking risks are very high. The suspects are currently in custody awaiting trial in Freetown, and all eight children are safe and being cared for! We will share more details as we receive them, but listen to this exclusive voice memo that came in from our team in the field:

Cotonou, Benin | February 15

Our team in Benin recently intercepted two young females and helped them file a case! Murielle* (18) and Samira* (15) had been sent by their parents to work as domestic helpers in a different city. Unfortunately, they were treated very badly at their new place of employment, so they decided to run away to seek work elsewhere. A motorcycle taxi driver helped them escape from the home, and then he took them to the nearest transit station. Determined to find good jobs, Murielle and Samira boarded a bus headed to Cotonou, even though they were unfamiliar with the city and didn't know anyone living there.

After arriving in Cotonou, Murielle and Samira eventually became trapped in prostitution. Desperate to escape their situation, they decided to run away and return to their village. They managed to flee to the nearest bus station, but they had no money in their possession and were unable to buy tickets to return home. They were exhausted and hungry when our monitors first approached them to see if they needed any assistance.

After hearing Murielle and Samira’s story, our team intercepted them and took them to the police station to file a case against the suspects. They also contacted their parents, who were overjoyed to learn that their daughters were safe. When the police were finished interviewing Murielle and Samira, our staff took them to their office to feed them and provide them with counseling.

Later that evening, our project manager and a transit monitor boarded a bus with the two females to ensure their safe transportation back to their village. Murielle and Samira’s parents were so grateful that their daughters had been protected from further exploitation, and they thanked our staff for intervening at the right time to keep them safe.

*Pseudonyms

Africa Field Updates

South Africa: The Freedom App team managed to get four verified intercepts this month, all of which had clear evidence of trafficking. Plans to implement a marketing campaign for The Freedom App are underway, and the team is really hoping this will boost intercepts. Also, the investigations team worked on our police training curriculum, which is now ready to roll.
Namibia: The team in Namibia recorded 14 verified intercepts for January. As borders have continued to open, the number of intercepts have increased. Proposals for expansion within the country have been submitted to the British High Commission and if accepted will allow the team to expand to three land border sites.
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe has gone through a very tough COVID period and has been under a hard lockdown. Despite this, our team still managed to record 19 verified intercepts. They continue to work in the toughest places under government scrutiny, and they are doing an amazing job.
Tanzania: The team in Tanzania recorded four verified intercepts in January. Our VP of security as well as our field liaison from Uganda have been training all the teams in Tanzania, which should help strengthen operations.
Kenya: The Kenya team had a great start to the year, recording 41 verified intercepts. This is a massive achievement due to the COVID-19 regulations and shows the dedication of the team. Amid all of that, the project manager has been communicating with high-level police officers to hopefully look at starting a police training project in the country in 2021.
Uganda: Uganda recorded 11 verified intercepts, many of which were minors. The important information they collected while questioning potential victims led to the arrests of two suspects. This was amazing work from a team that has persevered during a difficult election season that led to multiple outbreaks of violence within the country over the last few months.
Sierra Leone: With restrictions enforced at border crossings, the team was getting very few intercepts, except in Freetown. With this in mind, they decided to move their operations to an area where people are moving more freely, and this adjustment is bearing fruit in February. In the near future, they plan to open a shelter in Freetown, which will help as they work to repatriate the individuals they intercept.
Ghana: Ghana recorded four verified intercepts during January. They also fully registered the new entity, which is a great step forward and will allow the team to work closer with the government authorities.
Rwanda: Due to a strict COVID lockdown, our team in Rwanda was unable to operate for most of January. During the brief period when they were able to monitor, they intercepted three people and verified an additional 12 intercepts from previous months. With a small team of three people, they are doing incredible work, and as soon as travel reopens, they are hoping to expand to various border areas.
Malawi: In January, the team in Malawi intercepted and verified 47 intercepts, and they recorded seven arrests. This is a remarkable achievement from a team that continues to improve each month. Our VP of security also visited the country and conducted training, which was very well received.
Benin: The team verified three intercepts in January, two of which were young girls who were repatriated. The borders only very recently reopened, and the teams have expanded to help ensure that people traveling to and from Nigeria are screened and intercepted, if needed. The team will be operating 24/7, and based on their previous impact in Benin, we are hoping they will secure many interceptions.

South Asia Updates

Nine Potential Victims Intercepted in One Day in India: Our team in Delhi continues to have a great impact! Last month, they intercepted nine potential victims in a single day! A partner organization allows our team to use their booth to counsel and process intercepts, and recently, it has been overflowing (pictured).

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Kolkata, India, Expansion: This past week, we signed an MOU with our new partner in Kolkata. This was the first big step toward launching a pilot there. We are now seeking the right monitors who are passionate to do this work!

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Eight Arrests in Nepal: This past month, we had eight arrests that stemmed from interceptions and the follow-up conducted by our investigations team.

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