High in the mountains of Peru, far from the capital of Lima, is the village of Moquegua. The houses here are made from adobe clay and built with strong hands and patience. The days begin early, with people laboring in cold weather and raising animals. In one of the homes lives a young girl who loves her family deeply—so much so that she doesn’t know how to tell them the secret she is guarding.
How does this child tell her parents the unimaginable: that she is being sexually abused by her uncle? What’s more, her uncle has told her that if she speaks up, she will hurt her family. And she believed him because he was family.
The girl continued carrying this heavy burden until she learned that she was not the only one being abused. Her uncle was also harming other children in the small town where she lived and in nearby communities.
One Image Changes Everything
Years passed, and one day, far from that village, an illicit image began to circulate online. That image ended up in the hands of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), initiating an investigation into the abuse.
Law enforcement began taking the necessary actions to locate the suspect, with support from the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Human Trafficking (FISTRAP), and Our Rescue’s team in Latin America.
On June 2, 2026, the PNP’s Division of Cyber Protection Investigations (DIVCPI), FISTRAP officers from Lima, and team members from Our Rescue traveled to the Moquegua region of Peru, where they executed search warrants at three separate locations.
The operations resulted in the arrest of one adult Peruvian male for the alleged crime of production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). It was during this operation that two minor-age female children were brought to safety. As a result of this coordinated effort, the trajectory of their lives changed for the better. They could now begin their healing journeys.
The day before, Our Rescue accompanied Government of Peru (GoP) law enforcement to Tacna, to support operational coordination and provide access to trauma-informed survivor assistance, if needed. Our Rescue’s Survivor Care team helped coordinate support for rescued minor-age victims and an adult family member who accompanied them to the Lima region for medical evaluation.
Navigating The Road to Healing
At first, when the girl heard authorities knocking on her door, she was startled and confused. But soon relief crept in as she began to understand why they had come to see her. She had been found. And now she would be required to answer questions she had never been asked before. This would take time and courage, but she came forward with the truth—the secret she had so carefully guarded. Investigators working with Our Rescue understood and were patient. Eventually, she told them everything.
The road ahead is not easy. She will need to learn to trust again, to feel safe, and to understand that she was not to blame for the abuse she endured. Our Rescue stands together with our partners around the world and with those on the frontlines fighting to end human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Your support helps fuel this fight and supports efforts at home and abroad to bring perpetrators to justice and victims to safety.
