These five girls didn’t meet in high school. They met while working at a karaoke bar where they were all trafficked as sex workers. Now safe in a shelter, they have been waiting just over a year while court proceedings ensure justice. Confident in the case against their offender, they eagerly share any information that will prevent others from falling into the same snares.
Read MoreDismantling this visa and debt bondage scheme wasn’t achieved easily — our teams worked with law enforcement and other NGOs over a period of months to help identify and take down this trafficking ring.
Read MoreEspecially for Thai families struggling to pay bills, jobs overseas offer promise of stability and security. Ying felt safe taking a job that her cousin recommended, but things were not as they seemed. Ying’s family thought and acted quickly to keep her safe and avert a dangerous outcome.
Read MoreLIFT wanted to help Fai sue her trafficker for civil compensation, but first, Fai had to want to be a part of the process and be willing to fight for herself. Fai had told her story to officials repeatedly, each time being traumatized by the ordeal of having to re-live it.
Read MorePerhaps one of the most crucial ways we can target traffickers is to focus on the lifeblood of trafficking -- money. Traffickers recruit, transport, threaten and coerce other people into sex work or labor to profit off of them.
Read MoreLIFT's Investigation team assisted a survivor of transnational sex trafficking. While working her case, our team identified corruption at an embassy that allowed hundreds of women to be easily trafficked to Thailand for sex.
Read MorePeople often ask why young women who are trafficked don’t “just leave” if they aren’t being held by physical restraint. Chanh is an example of how there are chains stronger than physical restraints.
Read MoreDao’s virginity was sold before she had her first period. “I didn’t know what sex was,” she explains. “I had no education. I didn’t know what was happening — I was scared the first time.”
Read MoreShe was brought to Thailand by her own relatives; she couldn’t find a trusted person to bring her back to Laos, which was already an illegal journey since she had overstayed her border pass. A LIFT investigator identified her as a trafficking victim. One night, police and LIFT’s team joined forces to remove her from exploitation.
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