The Scope of Exploitation

Who We Rescue

Exploitation ensnares many people in many different kinds of ways. Destiny Rescue’s mission is focused but our influence in the realm of anti-trafficking continues to broaden. This has enabled us to rescue even more people out of all kinds of circumstances. In this article we’d like to dive a bit deeper into who we rescue to give you a better understanding of the lives impacted by your support.

Our mission is to rescue children out of sex trafficking and exploitation.

We refer to these individuals as our Primary Targets in the context of our rescue operations. They are who we set out to rescue and remain our main objective in all of our efforts as an organization. Having an established primary target is key to maintaining our focus but does not limit the spectrum of individuals we aid and rescue in our missions.

As our rescue efforts and expertise increase, many of our tallied rescues end up being individuals that fall outside of the category of sexually exploited children. These people have the same worth, value and rights to freedom as our primary targets. Although they are not our main focus, their rescue is just as important to us when it happens. Every rescue is a victory!

Primary & Secondary Targets

Sexually Exploited Adults

We are constantly seeking to defend children, but in the midst of our efforts to help children we often rescue individuals over the age of 18 for two compelling reasons.

In some instances of Covert Rescue, our primary target (a child) has a dependent relationship with an individual over the age of 18, refusing to leave without her. In these cases we will rescue both individuals.

Raids account for many of our adult rescues. Our agents locate pimps or establishments known to be exploiting children and gather intelligence to bring them down with a sting operation. These raids result in the rescue of each individual being exploited by the perpetrators regardless of their age. As the number of raids executed increases we are seeing a steady and correlated increase in the number of adults we rescue as well.

In our newer border-rescue intervention efforts, our agents are interviewing those they suspect to be child victims of human trafficking at border checkpoints. In instances when trafficking is most certainly happening but the individual is confirmed to be over 18 our efforts do not cease. Agents follow through and finish the process of rescue to ensure these individuals do not come to harm.

Growing Expertise & Opportunities

Victims of Labor Trafficking / Other Exploitation

Fringe cases have been brought to our attention involving child labor trafficking or children living on the street and being forced to beg. We have been able to use our experience and resources to aid in the rescue of these children.

As we gain more credibility in our partnerships with local governments, they have requested our assistance in cases involving adult labor trafficking rings and other instances of exploitation outside of our primary target focus. In these cases, we are honored to use our expertise and manpower to further our relationships with these task forces and set more lives free. Operation Trabaho is one example of this.

Freedom for All

While our primary target – children who are being sexually exploited and enslaved – will never change, the expanded scope of our rescue efforts is an encouraging development. It is a sign of growth and establishment in the countries where we work. More partnerships are being formed, more resources and knowledge shared and more lives are brought to freedom as a result!