Rescue
Creating preventive measures in communities where children are at risk.
There are almost 50 million slaves
in the world today.
One in four of these slaves are children.
Slavery is the severe exploitation of humans. Children and adults who are enslaved are trapped in lives of bondage without any autonomy over their lives.
More people are enslaved today than at any other time in history. Slaves are cheaper than they have ever been, costing about $90 per person worldwide.
Slavery is often seen in the form of human trafficking, which can include sex trafficking, debt bondage or labor trafficking.
Sarah’s Story
Sarah* is one of those slaves. She was raised in the foster care system and grew accustomed to being moved around without warning. Everyone who ever cared for her was paid to do so. These experiences offered the perfect training for Sarah to be picked up by traffickers. So when a pimp posed as a caregiver and asked Sarah to help support “the family,” it made perfect sense to her.
Once Sarah aged out of the foster care system, she had nowhere to go and no one to turn to besides her pimp. This is how Sarah became another human trafficking statistic.
Jana’s Story
Jana* used to be one of those slaves. At the age of 9, she was sold by a relative to traffickers and locked in a cage in a red light district.
Jana’s family lived in an impoverished community, and her parents didn’t know where or how to begin looking for her. Many victims of human trafficking in a red-light district do not live beyond the age of 14. Without intervention, Jana was at risk of dying within five years.
Fortunately for Jana, she came into contact with a Local Care Network outreach team that partners with SOS. She was rescued after three years of living inside a cage.
Why We Rescue
SOS works to rescue children trapped in brothels… because 95% of these women and children will never see the outside world again if no one comes to rescue them.
When we hear the stories of human trafficking victims, we see the faces of our daughters, sisters and mothers. We see women and girls who deserve freedom. We are compelled to act—because we can help bring that freedom. As people who are free, we have the responsibility to do our part in rescuing those who are trapped.
But this isn’t just a responsibility. It’s an invitation to see the most broken lives restored.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
How We Rescue
We partner with Local Care Networks all over the globe to rescue and rehabilitate human trafficking victims who’ve been held against their will and forced into bonded labor or sexual exploitation.
We provide extensive aftercare including medical attention, counseling, vocational training and education to help victims rebuild their lives.
We also work to create preventive measures in communities where children are at risk of being trafficked—because the best kind of rescue happens before a child is ever taken.
Our preventative measures include educating communities about sex trafficking and helping address the problems that make people vulnerable to traffickers.
You Can Make a Difference
One in four trafficking victims is a child.
Give today to help rescue and support children who are exploited and enslaved.
