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1 min read • Field Operations

Operation Fog: A Digital Trail Leads to Justice in Thailand 

He was just 22 years old, living in a quiet neighborhood in Northeastern Thailand. To most, he likely looked like any other young man. But behind a network of private chat groups, he was allegedly managing channels used to distribute suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for profit. …
1 min read • Sex Trafficking

“I Thought My Life Was Over”: Aisha’s Story of Survival and Strength 

*Survivor name changed for privacy  Aisha * was only 17 when her world changed. She left her village in Eastern Uganda believing she found work at a domestic job in neighboring Kenya. But the promise was a lie.  What awaited her instead was exploitation, isolation, and fear.
2 min read • Sex Trafficking

109 Children Rescued, 244 Arrested in Statewide Crackdown

In May 2025, hundreds of law enforcement officers across North Texas joined forces for one mission: to rescue children. Operation Soteria Shield, a month-long effort led by the FBI Dallas and the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, targeted individuals exploiting minors online, and what unfolded…
1 min read • Field Operations

Albanian State Police Bring Down Multi-National Trafficking Network

Forty-four Colombian women thought they were leaving home for better opportunities. Promises of work and a better future drew them thousands of miles from home, all the way to Albania. But when they arrived, the truth quickly unraveled. There were no jobs waiting, only control, violence, and sexual exploitation. …
1 min read • Survivor Care

Eight-Year-Old Peruvian Survivor Confronts Possibility of HIV Infection After Sexual Abuse 

This time of year, most kids are enjoying fun days with friends and family. But for an eight-year-old girl in Lima, Peru, the month of June included being tested for HIV, after she survived the horrors of sexual abuse and having it recorded and distributed on the internet as…
2 min read • Policy & Legal Advocacy

They Were Promised Jobs. They Were Forced Into Exploitation. 

Two young Colombian women, ages 21 and 22, thought they were leaving home for stable jobs in a textile factory in Peru. But instead of opportunity, they walked into the hands of a violent trafficking network.  As soon as they arrived in Lima, their documents were taken, their…
1 min read • Field Operations

5-Year-Old’s Nightmare Ends, Our Rescue’s Forensic Donation Helps in Case 

A five-year-old girl in Hartford, Vermont was betrayed by someone her family thought they could trust. The 33-year-old man, who lived in the same apartment building, offered to help watch her. But during this time, he sexually abused the child and used her to create child sexual abuse material…
2 min read • Field Operations

Three Arrested for Trafficking Women in Northern Greece 

A woman, lured to Greece by false promises of lucrative work, found herself trapped instead in a nightmare of exploitation. Deceived into thinking she would earn a good living, she arrived by plane just days before being locked into a cycle of sexual abuse and intimidation. The traffickers handed her keys to an…
1 min read • Training and Prevention

A Record-Breaking Class of ESD K9 Teams Join the Fight Against Child Exploitation 

Just last week, Our Rescue celebrated a powerful milestone: the largest class of Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9s we’ve ever sponsored graduated the Jordan Detection K9 program. Now, 11 new ESD K9 teams are ready to support law enforcement agencies across North America in the search for hidden electronic…
1 min read • Field Operations

Family Friend Arrested for Child Sexual Exploitation in Thailand, 14-Year-Old Boy Rescued 

When the family friend of a fourteen-year-old Thai boy being cared for by his aunt offered to step in and help, it seemed like an ideal situation. The boy’s parents were both in jail, and the aunt was struggling financially. Receiving care and attention from an adult male would…
1 min read • Field Operations • Middle East and Africa • Mission Stories

Two Women Escape from Sex Trafficking, Traffickers Receive 9-Year Sentence Each 

When two Nigerian women were approached by a young woman and her male partner and offered jobs in domestic work, the women were receptive. They were told that the jobs would be high paying, though they needed to move to Ghana to accept them. The women agreed and traveled…
1 min read • Field Operations

48 Hours in Indonesia – Part II 

Operation Badik – Back-to-Back Arrests in the Fight Against Child Exploitation Our Rescue Indonesia and law enforcement strike again just 48 hours apart.  Before the dust could settle from Operation Borneo Bound, the Our Rescue team in Indonesia boarded another flight, this time headed to South Sulawesi. Why? Because…
2 min read • Field Operations

Two Provinces. One Day. A Race to Rescue Children in Ecuador 

6-year-old girl and 8-year-old brother rescued, half-brother arrested  At the beginning of the year, Ecuadorian authorities were handed a disturbing lead: a thumb drive found abandoned on a bus near the Amazon region, which contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The team urgently needed to locate the survivors…
1 min read • Field Operations

48 Hours in Indonesia – Part 1

 First two operations in Indonesia of 2025 strike deep into the heart of digital trafficking networks – 2 suspects arrested.   Part 1: Operation Borneo Bound  Deep in an isolated region of South Kalimantan, one man was quietly distributing images that should never exist. Behind the closed…
5 min read • Our Perspectives

A dog trained to protect children also saved my own life

By Chaz Balogh, Our Rescue ESD K9 Program Relationship Manager  A highly trained, excitable and lovable detective named Spike saved my life. I don’t say that lightly. He brought me back to life, really, giving me a new purpose and rejuvenating my career in my lifelong mission to…
2 min read • Field Operations

From Prosecution to Urgent Survivor Care: 12-Year-Old Boy Rescued in Peru 

After three years of sexual abuse, a twelve-year-old Peruvian boy had completely withdrawn from his regular routine. Sinking into a deep depression, he rarely left the house and stopped attending school.   The perpetrator? A twenty-seven-year-old man who had befriended the boys’ family after he began working construction in…
8 min read • Online Exploitation

Why Age-Appropriate Online Safety Conversations Matter 

In today’s digital world, kids are online earlier and more often than ever before. A recent report from Common Sense Media found that by age 4, more than half of children have their own tablet, and nearly one in four have…
9 min read • Networks & Organized Crime

The Impact of Illegal Massage Parlors on Sex Trafficking

The Hidden Crisis Operating in Plain Sight Across the United States, an estimated 7,500 to 9,000 illicit massage businesses (IMBs) operate as fronts for one of the most pervasive forms of human sex trafficking in America today. These illegal massage parlors represent far more than isolated…
2 min read • Field Operations • Homepage Featured • Operations

From Coast to Coast: Our Rescue Supports Nationwide Stand Against Human Trafficking 

Across the United States, human trafficking doesn’t always happen in the shadows. Often, it’s woven into the fabric of everyday life.  In neighborhoods, in businesses that seem ordinary, in places people pass by every day without a second thought. Illicit massage businesses (IMBs) are one of the most common…
Our Rescue Shield
14 min read • Prevention & Awareness

Our Shield™: A New Online Safety Superpower for Caregivers and Kids

We are raising a generation of children in a world more connected and complex than before in an ever-evolving digital maze. From toddlers swiping tablets, tweens in group chats, and teens navigating TikTok trends, our kids are growing up in the new wild west. This digital frontier—rooted in smartphones,…
2 min read • Field Operations

A Quiet Room, a Hidden Crime — and the Team That Brought It to Light 

In a quiet town in Central Thailand, a young boy was suffering in silence.  He was just 15 years old — a student, a son, a child whose life should have been filled with friends, school, and the promise of the future. Instead, someone he trusted used their…
1 min read • Field Operations

Our Rescue Peru and Ecuador Teams Reach Across Borders to Help in Child Trafficking Case 

It wasn’t long after a fourteen-year-old Peruvian girl didn’t return home from the market that her family’s fears were confirmed: she had been kidnapped and trafficked. The Peruvian National Police began an investigation and identified her trafficker as a Peruvian national with a history of sexually abusing children. The…
4 min read • Online Exploitation

Internet Safety Tips You Need to Know to Protect Your Family in 2025

Protecting Children in the Digital Age  Every child deserves to grow up free from exploitation and harm—both offline and online. At Our Rescue, we’re committed to creating a world where children can safely navigate digital spaces without falling prey to those who would exploit them. The fight against trafficking…
1 min read • Field Operations

Our Rescue Supports First Operation in Romania

Authorities Dismantle Trafficking Operation in Eastern Europe, Rescue Two Survivors   In Romania, a 57-year-old man allegedly spent five years trafficking two women in Eastern Europe and forcing them into being sexually exploited for his profit.  According to Romanian authorities, in 2020 he began targeting women who came from…
1 min read • Field Operations

Electronic Storage Detection K9s Sniff Out CSAM, Leading to Arrests in Ecuador 

During a string of recent successful operations in Ecuador to arrest perpetrators of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one of the most important partners was on scene to help secure justice. Along with provincial and national police, the State Attorney General and even U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, specially trained…
1 min read • Field Operations

Our Rescue Donation Supports Carteret County Sheriff’s Office in Child Exploitation Cases 

At Our Rescue, we know that the right tools can make all the difference in stopping child predators. That’s why we provide essential technology and training to law enforcement agencies around the world—including here in the U.S. In Carteret County, North Carolina, equipment donated by Our Rescue recently played…
2 min read • Field Operations

Two-Decade Reign of Abuse Ends with Life Sentence for Child Predator 

ESD K9 Heroes Help Bring Justice in Iowa Child Exploitation Case  For over 20 years, a man named Carl Markley used fraud and coercion to get dozens of teens, mostly boys, to engage in sex acts. As a nurse practitioner and business owner in Ames, Iowa, Markley used his…
3 min read • Field Operations

Ghana Operation Uncovers Massive Cyber Trafficking Network 

In the early morning of April 17, 2024, Our Rescue Ghana joined Ghanaian authorities in one of the largest anti-trafficking and cybercrime operations in the nation’s history. Over 200 survivors—mostly young men and boys—were rescued from 22 locations across an 80-unit housing estate, many of whom had been lured…
6 min read • Field Operations

National Police Week 2025 and Our Rescue’s Partnership with Law Enforcement

During National Police Week 2025, law enforcement officers across the United States will gather in Washington, D.C. to honor fallen heroes on the frontlines. The memorial march and planned events from May 11-17 will unite police survivors and active-duty officers in a major event that transcends remembrance. This year's gathering holds special significance as Our Rescue celebrates unprecedented achievements in supporting law enforcement agencies nationwide.
1 min read • Field Operations

Multi-Country Operation Dismantles Pedophile Platform: Bulgarian Cybercrime Directorate Helps Protect 39 Children

In March, Bulgarian law enforcement delivered a powerful blow to online child exploitationthrough a Europol-supported global crackdown on a major child sexual abuse material(CSAM) platform, Kidflix. With nearly two million users, Kidflix has become one of thelargest known platforms for CSAM. The General Directorate Combating Organized Crime’s (GDCOC)…
3 min read • Our Perspectives

The Cases We Carry

 A National Police Week Message from Our Rescue CEO Derek Benner All of us who are serving or have served in law enforcement have peered into some of the darkest corners of humanity—investigating human trafficking, child exploitation, gang violence, cartel crimes, narcotics smuggling, illicit financial schemes, and fraud…
1 min read • Field Operations

No Expiration for Justice: Thai Authorities and Our Rescue Take Down Repeat CSAM Offender 

Nearly ten years after a Thai man filmed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) involving a nine-year-old boy, he was still distributing the video online. CSAM has no expiration date—and neither did his crimes. Previously arrested, jailed, and then released after distributing similar material, he continued sharing the video of…
5 min read • Training and Prevention

Our Rescue Joins Rotary VTT Team in Australia to Combat Sex Trafficking: A Global Effort for Change 

In March 2025, member of the Our Rescue Training & Prevention team embarked on a transformative month-long journey to Western Australia, invited by Rotary District 5300 as part of Rotary International’s Vocational Training Team (VTT) program. This initiative, backed by a Rotary Foundation grant, allows professionals from around the…
6 min read • Sextortion

Online Sextortion Targeting Teens Surges Nationwide

A Q&A with two detectives on the frontlines of this growing crime ARLINGTON, Texas — The crime of online sextortion is surging across the nation, increasingly targeting teenage boys and in some tragic cases, the young victims have taken their own lives after being blackmailed…
1 min read • Training and Prevention

Our Rescue Donates Digital Forensic Device and Helps Stop Abuse of Minors  

For a 26-year-old man from Middletown, New York, TikTok wasn’t an entertainment site. It was a hunting ground and a place to meet girls under the age of 18. Even though he knew the explicit texts and FaceTime calls he instigated with a 15-year-old were illegal, that didn’t stop…
5 min read • Sextortion

An Open Letter from a Mom of Teen Boys, Warning about Sextortion 

Allow me to introduce myself. I am the SVP of Marketing at Our Rescue. It is my job to help share stories of the vital work Our Rescue is doing, alongside our partners.   I recently read an article that kept me awake long after…
Survivor from First Our Rescue Operation in Europe Reclaims Future with New Business
2 min read • Survivor Care

Mission Update: Survivor from First Our Rescue Operation in Europe Reclaims Future with New Business 

**In this story, the survivor’s name has been changed to protect her identity.  Two years ago, Our Rescue worked alongside authorities to help dismantle an international trafficking ring preying on vulnerable women from Latin America and Africa. The traffickers lured them to Greece with…
2 min read • Survivor Care

Redefining the Future: A Survivor’s Path to Entrepreneurship 

**In this story, the survivor’s name has been changed to protect her identity.  Tsehay thought the opportunity to go to Lebanon and become a domestic worker would be a good way to provide for herself and her family.   Instead, Tsehay suffered traumatic abuse at the hands…
4 min read • Human Trafficking Statistics

The Dark Market Economics of Human Trafficking

The Dark Market Economics of Human Trafficking  Beyond the Human Cost  A $172.6 billion industry thrives in the shadows of our global economy, profiting from human suffering (International Labour Organization [ILO], Global Estimates Report, 2023). Human trafficking generates profits that rival some of…
1 min read • Field Operations

Operation Amanecer III: Our Rescue Assists in the Arrest of Children’s Music Teacher in Ecuador After a Decade on the Run  

A man in Latin America was wanted on charges of rape of minors and the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) since 2014. The suspected pedophile worked as a children’s music teacher, taking advantage of his trusted position with students to sexually exploit them. Despite his crimes and…
2 min read • Sextortion

America’s Hidden Crisis: Online Sextortion and the Deadly Risks for Teen Boys 

Daily Wire Reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo Highlights Our Rescue CEO Tammy Lee in Coverage of Sextortion Crisis  A devastating trend is quietly claiming the lives of young boys across the United States: online sextortion. A recent Daily Wire article and Morning…
8 min read • CSAM

What is CSAM?

Understanding CSAM: Definition and Terminology  Child sexual abuse material (CSAM), commonly known as child pornography, refers to any form of media that depicts the sexual exploitation or sexual abuse of children. This can include images, videos, or even live streams that show minors being sexually abused or exploited.
1 min read • Field Operations

Wyoming Man Faces 548 Years in Prison for Creating and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material of 16-Year-Old Girl 

A 34-year-old Wyoming man faces 548 years in prison if he’s convicted of all the charges for the manufacturing, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) following his arrest.   The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) received a tip from the National Center for Missing and…
6 min read • Child Exploitation • CSAM • Sex Trafficking

Sounding the Alarm: Why the Fight Against CSAM Can’t Wait

ARLINGTON, Texas — Sex crimes against children are surging online, creating a backlog of digital evidence piling up faster than police officers across the US can sort through. Cyber tips for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases have tripled nationwide since 2020. This leaves police departments facing a logjam…
2 min read • Field Operations

Our Rescue Partners with Peruvian Authorities to Dismantle Sex Trafficking Network 

70 survivors identified and 7 suspects arrested in collaborative operation   The Peruvian town of Llacuabamba, nestled in the rugged Andean mountains, is far from any typical tourist route. Located a grueling 15-hour drive from the coastal city of Trujillo, it is separated by miles of barren terrain and…
1 min read • Field Operations

Our Rescue and Thai Authorities Rescue 12-Year-Old Boy and Dismantle Illicit Chat Group  

An informant for the Thailand Internet Crime Against Children (TICAC) program thought the group on the chat app seemed suspicious. His instincts were correct. For 150 Thai Baht, equivalent to $4.45, anyone could purchase a lifetime membership to the group and get access to a trove of Child Sexual…
2 min read • Field Operations

A Father’s Love Leads to Criminal Arrests and the Rescue of Eight Trafficking Survivors in Peru 

In January 2024, a desperate father pleaded with authorities in Peru to help him find and rescue his 17-year-old daughter, who had been kidnapped by a Venezuelan Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) and trafficked to a southern Peruvian coastal town for sexual exploitation.   To help with this lifesaving mission,…
2 min read • Field Operations • Homepage Featured

Our Rescue Partners with Police in Greece to Bust Human Trafficking Ring 

Thirteen women from Latin America and Eastern Europe arrived in Greece with dreams of a better future. They believed they had secured stable jobs, only to have their passports ripped from their hands and their identities stripped away. Trapped in a nightmare, their captors forced them into sex work…
1 min read • Training and Prevention

Congratulations to the K9 Class of Spring 2025! 

We are excited to announce the graduation of eight new Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9s from the Jordan Detection K9 training program! These incredible dogs completed their training on Friday, March 14, and are being placed in police departments across the country and Canada to help fight child exploitation.
3 min read • Survivor Care

Lives on the Line: The Urgent Need for More Survivor Shelters Near Nepal and India Border 

Lives on the Line: The Urgent Need for More Survivor Shelter Near Nepal and India Border  Charimaya Tamang was just 16-years-old when her life and dreams were violently disrupted, as traffickers forced her across the border from Nepal to India.  For nearly two years, she endured unimaginable…
2 min read • Policy & Legal Advocacy

Breaking: Teacher arrested, 20,000 files of suspected child sexual abuse material seized, 15-year-old removed from teacher’s home

Earlier this month, a family in Thailand made a devastating discovery — a teacher was sexually abusing their nine-year-old son. The child revealed the teacher was coercing him into performing explicit acts, which the teacher filmed and uploaded online. His parents immediately reported the crime to the Cyber Crime…
Our Rescue female team members
11 min read • Homepage Featured

International Women’s Day 2025: Women Leading the Fight Against Human Trafficking

International Women’s Day is a global movement fueled by collective action, celebrating women’s achievements since its start in 1911, while confronting the work still needed to achieve true gender equality.  At Our Rescue, we are proud to be a women-led organization empowering female leaders. This…
2 min read • Field Operations

Our Rescue Works with Thailand ICAC to Rescue Six-Year-Old Girl 

On February 19, a coordinated effort between Our Rescue and Thailand’s Internet Crimes Against Children (TICAC) Task Force led to the successful rescue of a six-year-old girl and the arrest of the family member who was abusing her.   The Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children (TICAC) Task Force, supported…
Photos of Our Rescue pillar work
5 min read • Our Perspectives

From Darkness to Light: The New Our Rescue

One year ago, I took on the opportunity of a lifetime as Our Rescue’s new CEO. I accepted this pivotal role with one goal: to transform the organization as a leading partner in the mission to end sex trafficking and child exploitation.   I said ‘yes’ because I saw…
2 min read • Europe • Homepage Featured • Mission Stories • Prevention & Awareness • Training and Prevention

Our Rescue Helps Strengthen Malta’s Fight Against Human Trafficking 

In February, Our Rescue’s Training & Prevention, Survivor Care, and Rescue Operations teams traveled to Malta—a beautiful island country on the Mediterranean Sea–with a shared mission: empower those on the front lines of justice.   Malta is on the Tier 2 Watchlist of the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking…
group of kids drawing on a paper heart
3 min read • Training and Prevention

Help Fund a Shelter in Nepal

For over six years, Our Rescue has partnered with Shakti Samuha, a pioneering survivor-led organization established in 1996. Shakti Samuha is dedicated to providing comprehensive support for survivors of human trafficking, including shelter, education, vocational training, and legal aid. In addition, the organization works closely with law enforcement to…
Quote from Lindy Borchardt
2 min read • Organization

A ‘Survivor-Centered Prosecutor’ Helps Transform Justice System as a Champion for Sex Trafficking Survivors 

A “Survivor-Centered Prosecutor” Helps Transform Justice System as Champion for Sex-Trafficking Survivors  Assistant Criminal District Attorney Lindy Borchardt, of Tarrant County, Texas, sets the gold standard for what we champion at Our Rescue: to be the light in the darkness in the fight against human trafficking.  Lindy,…
6 min read • Prevention & Awareness

The Transformative Shift in Prosecuting Sex Trafficking and Child Exploitation

Learn how survivor-centered approaches are transforming justice systems, with groundbreaking results in Tarrant County, Texas. As the conversation around human trafficking gains urgency in the public eye, a transformative shift puts survivor care at the center of the process, from the first intervention on the streets all the…
1 min read • Field Operations • Homepage Featured • Operations

Operation in Greece Dismantles Major Human Trafficking Network  

In a significant step against sex trafficking, Greek authorities, with support from Our Rescue and nonprofit A21, dismantled a criminal trafficking organization in December of 2024.   The Directorate for Combating Organized Crime led the investigation, uncovering a network that had been operating since 2019. The traffickers targeted vulnerable…
1 min read • Human Trafficking In The Media

Debunked Images Found on Google Maps in LA Ignites Conversation around Real Threat of Human Trafficking

Over the past day, disturbing markings such as “HELP” found on Google Maps in LA went viral, sparking fears of human trafficking in the area. While the Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed there is no legitimate threat, and the images are over a year old, the incident highlights…

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