Trafficking for cyber fraud an increasingly globalised crime, Interpol says
Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Interpol said on Friday its first operation targeting human-trafficking fueled cyber fraud showed the criminal industry was going global, spreading beyond its origins in South-East Asia, with scam centres emerging as far away as Latin America. The global police coordination body said law enforcement from more than 20 countries in October carried […]
Indian droughts and cyclones fuel trafficking fears for climate migrants
Chennai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Climate disasters such as droughts are like a “silent poison” in India as a rising number of people end up migrating to survive and risk being trafficked, researchers said this week. Migration is a coping strategy for many communities in India in the face of economic woes and extreme weather events, […]
Berlin warns Ukrainian refugees about trafficking danger
Berlin, GermanyReuters The city of Berlin has warned Ukrainian refugees not to accept offers of money or accommodation at the main train station due to concerns that they might be lured into forced prostitution or other forms of human trafficking. “Please note that there may be criminals on the move at Berlin central station who want […]
Nearly 3,300 migrants stranded in Mexico were kidnapped, raped or assaulted – report
Washington DC, USReuters Nearly 3,300 migrants stranded in Mexico since January due to a US border policy have been kidnapped, raped, trafficked or assaulted, according to a report by a human rights group released on Tuesday. The report, by New York-based Human Rights First, documents cases of migrants and asylum seekers stuck in Mexico since […]
“Pay up”: Indian trafficking victims left destitute by compensation delays
ANURADHA NAGARAJ, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, looks at how a failure to pay compensation due to female survivors of crime is driving some into poverty…
UN warns child labour, trafficking on the rise in troubled Mali
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation More children have been trafficked, forced to work in gold mines and to fight as soldiers in Mali this year as conflict worsened and COVID-19 shut schools, the United Nations said on Tuesday. With security in Mali deteriorating, a network of humanitarian agencies led by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, documented […]
Bangladesh vows to speed up efforts to convict human traffickers
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh is accelerating efforts to bring human traffickers to justice, the law minister said on Tuesday, after a special court set up to clear a backlog of cases secured its first conviction. The nation established seven tribunals nationwide in March to deal with thousands of trafficking cases – some of which […]
Kenya makes hospital arrests as it probes child trafficking ring
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Kenya said on Wednesday it had arrested three hospital staff in a probe into the theft and sale of babies, accusing some public hospitals and care homes of colluding with organised crime. Authorities acted after a BBC investigation revealed how Kenyan child trafficking syndicates – from street clinics to a government-run […]
Colombian former teacher braves coronavirus to rescue Venezuelan girls from sexual abuse
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation COVID-19 has left many people trapped indoors, deprived of work and lacking purpose. Not Mayerlin Vergara. The former school teacher roams parks and slums in northern Colombia from dawn till dusk in search of children – some as young as seven – who are being sexually exploited in increasing numbers amid […]
“We cannot afford to fail”: Businesses working with slavery survivors in India seek ways to offset COVID
ANURADHA NAGARAJ, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from India on how businesses providing help to trafficking survivors are coping during the coronavirus pandemic…