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Subscribe NowLONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Dozens of suspected
victims of human trafficking were rescued and more than 200 people arrested in
a global crackdown on smuggling and trafficking networks, Interpol said on
Friday.
The recent week-long operation involved authorities from 32
nations across several continents and led to the identification of 3,500
irregular migrants, the global police agency said.
About 100 potential trafficking victims were found and
helped in Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Spain and Uruguay as
part of Operation Turquesa II, Interpol said.
The operation highlighted how the coronavirus pandemic has
left a rising number of people vulnerable to trafficking worldwide, said
Interpol Secretary-General Jurgen Stock.
“Organized crime groups continue to take advantage of
vulnerable people seeking a better life, especially during COVID-19, and demand
large sums of money with little or no concern for their welfare,” Mr. Stock
said in a statement.
Several anti-trafficking experts told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation in October that fallout from COVID-19 was driving more people
into forced labor or sexual exploitation while support services for survivors
have been suspended or shut.
Interpol said at least 30 of the more than 200 arrests made
during the operation were linked to the sexual exploitation of female migrants
and trafficking victims.
Unlike trafficking, which involves deception or control over
another person for the purpose of exploitation, smuggling means entering
another country illegally and is considered consensual.
About 25 million people globally are estimated to be victims
of human trafficking, according to the United Nations’ International Labor
Organization and rights group Walk Free.