31 children rescued in Uganda and on their paths to freedom

31 girls ages 14 to 17 have been rescued from sexual exploitation and joined our community care programs in Uganda.

A major vulnerability shared by survivors in Uganda is an unstable home. It is not uncommon for a survivor to pass through numerous living situations involving different or absent guardians.

Of the 31 children rescued, only one child lived with both parents, and eight lived with a single parent. The rest were being cared for by relatives or lived on their own.

Our programs after rescue focus on a child’s unique situation to help her stay free. Our caseworkers and counselors might focus on repairing and strengthening strained family relationships. Older survivors are also able to learn vocational skills or do training on the job so they can afford rent with safe roommates.

Rescue Update Archive

2 girls rescued from gang’s control

The girls were being sexually exploited by the gang members.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic reached out to our team after receiving a report that two 16-year-old girls were being held captive by a dangerous gang. Agents helped with the comprehensive investigation before joining officers to raid the house where the children were being held. The children are now safe in the care of a government gender-based violence recovery program.

167 survivors rescued

The largest single-operation raid in our history

At the end of 2025, we participated in our biggest single-operation raid yet.

A miraculous 167 victims, including a handful of children, became survivors after a joint multi-day raid operation in the Dominican Republic. The primary trafficker, along with eight of her subordinates, was arrested, ending a major sex-tourism operation in the area.

Our participation, which included months of investigation, was integral to law enforcement efforts. One of our female agents bravely went undercover as a sex worker, approaching victims on the street and discreetly gathering information about the traffickers’ operation.

21 Rescued from Human Trafficking in Nepal

Over half of the survivors of these counter-trafficking efforts are children

Most of those rescued were stopped at the Nepal border by our fearless border agents who, after conducting interviews, discovered that the victims had been deceived into crossing by human traffickers. All of those survivors were safely returned to their families after a discussion about the dangers of border trafficking.

Four children were rescued in collaboration with law enforcement as part of a new initiative in Nepal. After rescuing them from sex trafficking operations within massage parlors, all the children were entrusted to a local partner shelter to recover.

Raid Rescues 20 from Human Trafficking

20 people, including 3 children, were rescued in the Philippines.

Traffickers had been sexually exploiting the victims, including a few boys and young men, in a tourist area of the Philippines. Aside from providing an in-depth investigation, our agents helped law enforcement by supplying undercover work, surveillance, victim interviews, and operational manpower.

The survivors have all been returned home, and the trafficker was arrested.

13 People Rescued in Africa

11 girls and 2 young women no longer have to sell their bodies to survive.

The children and young women were rescued from sexual exploitation as part of new operations in Africa. We recently launched rescue operations in a new location, South Africa, and are excited to share about the results of this work!

Field agents located the victims as they canvassed high-risk areas in their search for vulnerable kids. The rescue process is already starting to change lives: all the survivors have entered our Community Care Program, where they’ll learn to move past the trauma they’ve endured. After that, caseworkers will guide the children to develop life and job skills that will help them live free.

You can read more about our work in South Africa here.