Nearly 200 suspects were arrested on charges of trafficking and human trafficking, and 500 victims were rescued thanks to a large, international operation in 24 countries around the world. Among the victims were children, as announced by Interpol.
The operation called “Weka” (meaning “Stop” in Swahili) involved the police services of 24 countries, mainly in Africa and Europe, such as Kenya, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, but also Brazil. Investigations and exchanges of information led to the dismantling of criminal networks and the arrest of a total of 195 suspects between March 28 and April 2, at a time when experts warned that the pandemic was hampering efforts to identify traffickers and bring them to justice. of justice.
Of the 195 arrested, 88 are charged with trafficking-related offenses. The rest are mainly suspected of smuggling migrants, forging documents and stealing.
One of the victims was a 15-year-old Congolese woman who was sexually abused by traffickers while trying to leave her country to escape a forced marriage, Interpol, based in Lyon, France, said.
One of the most significant operations took place in Sudan, where about 100 victims were rescued from the clutches of 20 traffickers, some of whom were exploiting children, forcing them to work in plastic factories. A 10-year-old girl who worked as a slave in a house was found and rescued in Kenya, while three suspected traffickers of young girls were arrested in Uganda. In South Africa, five Chinese were arrested and 17 Malawi nationals were released who were forced to work 15 hours a day, without food or a break, while sleeping on the factory floor.
Some other victims were workers from Lebanon, Syria and Jordan who went to the Democratic Republic of Congo to work in construction, but their passports were withheld and they were never paid.
Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock stressed that many victims simply could not escape the horrific situation in which they found themselves. “That is why Interpol’s work does not stop here,” he said. “We will continue to help countries resolve sensitive and complex cases, which will undoubtedly lead to more arrests in the coming months,” he added.
Worldwide, an estimated 25 million people are victims of forced labor, according to the United Nations and the humanitarian organization Walk Free Foundation.
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