In Spain, officials say that 14 women were being forced into commercial sex work after suspected traffickers used elderly caregiver job offers to lure the women to the country.
Traffickers reportedly forced the women to be available 24 hours a day and live in extremely unsanitary conditions. When they were found, cockroaches were discovered in the food, and eleven of the survivors were living in one room together.
Authorities also found out that bed sheets were only changed once a week no matter the number of sexual services performed on them.
With the women being citizens of four different South American countries plus Cuba, multiple organizations and agencies came together to fight for their freedom.
OUR Rescue assisted the Spanish National Police (SNP) and the National Police of Ecuador in this collaborative investigation. We donated technical equipment and supported authorities with personnel on the ground when search and arrest warrants were executed across eight locations in April.
Law enforcement arrested nine people who now face human trafficking charges. Six of them have been placed in provisional prison. Illegal drugs, cash, and mobile phones were seized from the searches. Authorities also discovered a cocaine-producing lab.
With the survivors now safe, OUR Survivor Care is providing the women with the individualized support they need to heal and is working to help repatriate them.