Lola approached the two men with a confident swagger. The woman was boisterous to the point of being loud, her demeanour all disingenuous smiles and ingratiating courtesy. She was the epitome of the overly eager salesperson in her element.

Lola’s daughter, however, was another matter.

Thirteen-year-old Nekana kept her eyes down as she followed her mother toward the men. When Lola prompted her, she reluctantly shook hands with them, offering a brief smile before stepping back. In stark contrast to her mother, Nekana’s body language was hesitant and serious. The child’s body language was a result of the twisted relationship between this mother and daughter.

Lola was the saleswoman. Her daughter was the product.

Going undercover

Authorities in the Dominican Republic told our agents that they had information about a mother exploiting her daughter and asked for our assistance with the case. After doing some investigation on the trafficker’s methods, undercover agents and officers arranged for Lola to provide manicures at a fake pool party. 

But when she arrived, Lola brought her daughter with her, confirming what our law enforcement sources had reported: after giving the manicure, Lola offered her daughter as an upsell. Agents were heartbroken at how Lola forced Nekana to interact with the party participants, insisting that she swim in the pool with them and pressuring the hesitant child to drink alcohol and flirt with the undercover operatives.

Our agents maintained their cover well. While chatting jovially with Lola, they took secret photos and videos of the exchange to bolster the case for law enforcement. After rebuffing Lola’s illicit offers to sell her daughter’s “services,” they parted ways, promising to use her book time with her again in the future for the full experience. 

The raid

The photos and testimony were just what authorities needed to attain a warrant. 

Our agents were called back in to assist on the day of the raid. 

Coordination was key to a swift and safe operation: Nekana’s father and brother, also suspected criminals, were inside the home and presumed dangerous. One of our agents joined officers as they prepared to enter the house, while another scanned the neighbourhood from above with a drone to keep the police apprised of nearby activity.

Nekana’s father and brother resisted when officers stormed the residence, and Lola argued the whole time combatively. 

But Nekana was different. 

Agents reported that during the raid, she and two other girls sat peacefully by while the others fought officers. “(Nekana) and the other girls were very calm,” our field correspondent said. “They didn’t seem to be worried… like they wanted it to happen.”

The chaos of the raid finally subsided when officers subdued the fighting family. 

Nekana and two other girls, along with a young woman, were rescued from sexual exploitation that day. After confiscating cocaine and drug paraphernalia in the residence, police arrested Nekana’s mother, father and brother. 

Agents reported that, rather than being upset, Nekana seemed relieved by their apprehension. 

Breaking free: generational exploitation

All three criminals have been convicted of human trafficking and drug charges. 

Further investigation revealed that Lola formerly worked as a prostitute before having children. While we don’t have the full details in her specific case, we’ve seen similar cases of “generational exploitation.” 

In these circumstances, a child is forced into selling her body to survive until she reaches adulthood. Bereft of education or the skills to pursue something more, she sticks with what she knows and eventually introduces her own children into the “business” she grew up doing, starting the tragic process all over again.

Nekana has broken free of that vicious cycle. While recovering in one of our partners’ safe homes, Nekana has returned to school, happy to leave the troubling influence of her family behind. 

Will you be the catalyst for another child like her? Many other girls like Nekana have been so thoroughly groomed by those they trust that they don’t even realise they’re being exploited. It takes outside action to introduce these kids to the concept that they’re worth more. Your gift can make that happen for a child trapped in exploitation.

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