Netherlands suspects trafficking of Vietnamese minors through asylum centres
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsThomson Reuters Foundation Almost all the Vietnamese children who arrived in Dutch asylum centres in recent years disappeared and were probably trafficked, the Dutch Government advisor on human trafficking has said. Eighty unaccompanied minors from Vietnam went missing from government asylum centres in the Netherlands between 2015 and 2019, according to an investigation […]
Trafficked ‘brides’ stuck in China due coronavirus after fleeing abuse
Phnom Penh, VietnamThomson Reuters Foundation Coronavirus travel restrictions have forced anti-trafficking groups to suspend rescue operations of Vietnamese and Cambodian “brides” from China, with some now in hiding having escaped the homes of men holding them against their will. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of South-East Asian women have been lured to China […]
Crowdfunding campaign helps Indian slavery survivors rebuild lives
Chennai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Indian trafficking survivors are using crowdfunding to help cover their legal costs, pay for public awareness campaigns and enable them to become more self-reliant. In a rare move, the India Leaders Forum Against Trafficking, an umbrella organisation of 11 survivor groups from across the country, raised more than 500,000 Indian rupees […]
Radio show in small Indian town gives rare voice to child workers
Gorakhpur, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Balloon seller Nisha, nine, said purple was her favourite colour as she spoke into the microphone on a radio show in north India dedicated to highlighting the voices of child workers. Nisha was among a group of children working and living on the streets of Gorakhpur, an impoverished town where child […]
STOLEN AND SOLD: ARMENIA PROBES BABIES LOST TO EUROPE
NVARD HOVHANNISYAN and UMBERTO BACCHI report for Thomson Reuters Foundation on an illegal adoption scandal in Armenia…
Thai police under scrutiny as record number of trafficking cases dismissed
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Thai prosecutors turned down about a fifth of human trafficking cases sent to them by police last year, a soon-to-be released government report shows, raising concerns that police were on a drive to boost numbers to enhance Thailand’s global image. The 79-page report – drafted to inform an annual US report […]
Mexico human trafficking cases rise by a third but many states found lagging
Tijuana, MexicoThomson Reuters Foundation State human trafficking investigations in Mexico rose by a third last year, but academics and activists said that many parts of the country appeared to be struggling to tackle the crime. State authorities launched 515 trafficking cases last year – up from 385 in 2018 – according to new government data. […]
Cambodia enlists tuk-tuk drivers in fight against trafficking
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Thousands of tuk-tuk drivers in Cambodia are to join the fight against human trafficking under a plan by the ride-hailing app Grab to train drivers to spot and report signs of exploitation. Grab said on Friday it would provide training for 10,000 drivers in the capital Phnom Penh this month, as […]
Niger urged to work with traffickers to curb violence
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Niger is better off compromising with traffickers who smuggle goods and people across the desert than risking violence trying to stop them, according to researchers and regional authorities. The West African country is a crossroads in the Sahara where people illegally transport drugs, gold and people along ancient trade routes, often […]
Mobile theatres to screen child slavery film in rural India
Mumbai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation A film about a boy trafficked to work in a carpet factory is to be screened in remote Indian villages to raise awareness about child slavery among families often targeted by human traffickers. Due to be released on Thursday, Jhalki tracks a nine-year-old girl’s struggle to find her younger brother after […]