Imagine wanting a better life so much that you’re willing to leave your home, your country behind – to take a chance on the unknown. You’re determined to provide security and a more prosperous future for your loved ones. This is a powerful motivator for many individuals around the world. And for three women, it was the dream that turned into a living nightmare, trapped in the web of vicious human traffickers.
Only when one of the women somehow evades her captors and finds herself dialing emergency services on a phone outside the apartment building that has kept her and the other two women prisoner, does the hope of wrestling free of this nightmare seem possible. Then, when officers from the Immediate Action Unit locate her and take her to the Kallithea Crime Investigation Department, that hope becomes real and the hidden signs of human trafficking begin to emerge.
Our Rescue recently supported a human trafficking enforcement operation in Athens, Greece, which resulted in the rescue of three survivors and multiple arrests. Together with Our Rescue and A21, a fellow anti-trafficking nonprofit, the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (D.A.O.E.) arrested four individuals believed to be trafficking foreign women for sexual and financial exploitation under the guise of an escort agency.
Further investigation revealed three perpetrators, a 27-year-old, a 26-year-old, and a 19-year-old, who had joined a criminal organization that would recruit women from Latin America through deception and false promises, and transport them to Greece for the purpose of professional, profit-driven sexual exploitation.
Control and Compliance: The Multi-Dimensional Cage
Once victims arrive at what they believe is a positive, new chapter in their life, it is then revealed that an insurmountable debt exists and the people who promised them so much have now become their captors. They have no idea where these debts came from, but they are the new reality they face, and serving as escorts who must perform sexual acts now tethers them to this new existence.
The women are drugged into compliance by their captors. The body becomes addicted, and is now driven by dependency, a new form of imprisonment.
Promises turn out to be lies. There is no longer any control over any part of one’s life. The captors are ruthless businessmen, charging fees and monitoring every movement, demanding constant reports from the women about their earnings. They transport them to and from hotels and private homes around the region. The victims have no identification or paperwork that lets them travel – they are trapped in a multi-dimensional cage of drugs, surveillance, threats of violence, and endless debt. There is simply no way out.
When Justice Hears a Cry for Help
Days, weeks, and months go by. Then, one day, a chance to escape presents itself and one of the women risks everything and flees. She finds a phone and dials for help, desperate for someone to answer, and for the voice on the other end to believe her, find her, and help her break free from the nightmare.
On the line, law enforcement learns of the situation and rescues the woman. Now planning turns into a coordinated, strategic operation to identify, locate, and arrest human traffickers. As the operation unfolds, the D.A.O.E. uncovers a long list of crimes. Officers seize crystal methamphetamine, MDMA, ecstasy tablets, liquid ketamine, and equipment used for adulterating and packaging narcotic substances. Four men are arrested and charged, suspected members of a criminal organization involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation and multiple other violations.
Law enforcement also uncovers the activities of a second criminal group, consisting of the same members, involved in the production, storage, possession, transportation, distribution, and sale of narcotics.
In the Aftermath: Protection, Care, and Support
Rescuing the women is not the end of the journey; it is the beginning. It is the start of a journey toward healing that will not be easy. And a critical step in the process is receiving trauma-informed, survivor-centered care from individuals who will not only hear their stories but will be able to offer support. That they are listened to, protected, and helped is a miracle. Being protected by law enforcement has been as crucial as being supported by people from organizations that understand the scope of what they have endured.
Our Rescue brings the fight to those who harm or intend to harm the most vulnerable. We help local authorities identify perpetrators and offer access to care and support throughout the world. Our Rescue seeks to bring hope and healing to those who need it most. Your donation today enables us to continue this fight. Please join us in this important work. Donate today.
