Twenty Victims Saved, Three Traffickers Arrested
PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, April 12 – The ASEA Advancing Life Foundation has sponsored two recent human trafficking rescue missions with Operation Underground Railroad, taking place in December and April. Both missions were successful, with 20 victims rescued (10 on each mission) and three traffickers arrested.
The December mission took place in Peru. The local government complimented O.U.R. on the precision of the mission and expressed the desire to arrange future missions.
Following that rescue mission, O.U.R.’s aftercare specialists remained on site until each girl returned to her family. All 10 had been living at home with their families and slipping out as dictated by the threats and demands of their traffickers. These families were given instruction on how to spot warning signs of human trafficking in the future, including the role social media can play.
“I have come to understand that the aftercare process is the key to helping these victims become whole again,” said board member of the Advancing Life Foundation KimMarie Larsen.
O.U.R. is confident the evidence they collected leading up to the mission and during the rescue will be sufficient to prosecute the traffickers. The Peru rescue mission cost $50,000 and was made possible by donations to the Advancing Life Foundation; the Foundation has since sponsored a second mission just a few days ago elsewhere in Latin America, in which another 10 children were rescued.
“Rescue missions like these are the answers to these victims’ prayers,” said Larsen. “ASEA’s partnership with O.U.R. means we can help victims escape abuse and give them a life of meaning and purpose.”
The Advancing Life Foundation will continue to partner with O.U.R. to help end human trafficking. Current fundraising through the Advancing Life Foundation will go toward acquiring two more police dogs for K-9 units in areas where they will specifically target human trafficking. The dogs will be specially trained to detect thumb drives and hard drives, which often contain incriminating child pornography.
The Advancing Life Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) dedicated to breaking the cycles of poverty, abuse, and suffering by empowering communities and people who face those disadvantages with sustainable opportunities. The foundation’s 2017 impact report details the strides the Advancing Life Foundation made last year, including joining the fight against human trafficking, building the Inta-Cara Vocational Center in Ecuador, and helping with disaster relief.
