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 abuser himself didn’t try very hard to hide his identity, contacting the child’s family with extortion demands for her mother and older sister. This contact, as disturbing as it was, allowed authorities to trace him. Authorities determined that he was in Ecuador with the girl.
After these initial wins in identifying both the trafficker’s and the girl’s location, the investigation stalled due to logistical obstacles. The Peruvian authorities knew they needed support, especially in coordinating with Ecuador. The Peruvian Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Human Trafficking contacted Our Rescue’s in-country team in Peru. On April 1, 2025, Our Rescue got involved and contacted our local team in Ecuador to coordinate operation support. Together, the two teams got the investigation moving again.
With Our Rescue’s assistance, Peruvian police authorities communicated directly with Ecuadorian Specialized Law Enforcement and confirmed the precise location of the child and the perpetrator. On April 10, 2025, ten days after Our Rescue got involved, the Ecuadorian authorities conducted an operation that successfully rescued the girl and arrested her trafficker.
The young survivor could not have been rescued from her trafficker in Ecuador without the effective coordination between Our Rescue and Peruvian and Ecuadorian authorities. Our Rescue’s expertise in using advanced technologies helped to speed up the investigation and precisely locate the minor.
Our generous donors make this effective international work possible, helping us share our expertise and coordinate across borders. As trafficking operations become more sophisticated, Our Rescue’s worldwide reach allows us to stand apart from other organizations and make it a truly valuable partner in combating child sex trafficking throughout the world.