UPDATE: Four More Women Rescued

After the seven women rescued from trafficking in the Dominican Republic were safely returned home to Colombia, something incredible happened. Once they knew they were safe, they began to talk. They shared information about four other young women who were still being held captive. They knew where to find them. That information was passed to Answer International-funded operators and partners, who worked alongside local authorities to pinpoint the location.

They found them and all four were rescued.

For their protection, we cannot show their faces. But the woman pictured with them is one of the psychologists who will walk alongside them through this next part of their journey. These four young women are now receiving the psychological, medical, and ongoing support they need to begin healing.

Four more women are free today because the rescued became part of the rescue. Freedom brings empowerment. Empowerment moves people to act, and that action helps lead us to others who are still waiting to be found.

This is Redemption.

UPDATE: Home Again

The rescue was only the beginning. 

The women had no passports. They were far from home, separated from their families, and faced a difficult legal process before they could return safely to Colombia.

Our partners worked tirelessly to locate their families, navigate the legal process, and overcome obstacle after obstacle to bring them home.

Today, all seven women have been safely returned to Colombia.

The have been reunited with their families.

These photos were taken at the airport as the women were welcomed home by the people who love them.

Answer International does not simply get people out of captivity. We see the rescue through, making sure survivors are safe, protected, and given a real chance to begin again.

This is Redemption

Original Story

Let me tell you about seven Colombian women who were promised jobs and lured to the Dominican Republic.

Instead of jobs, they were trafficked.

When they arrived, their traffickers told them they owed up to $4,000, a debt they were forced to repay through sexual exploitation.

This is how trafficking networks operate.

They prey on vulnerable women looking for a better life. They lure them across borders with false promises, then trap them in a cycle of fear, debt, and abuse.

And sadly, foreign sex buyers, including Americans, travel to the Dominican Republic to exploit vulnerable women, creating the demand that fuels this evil.

But their story was not over.

After receiving an emergency call, Answer International-funded operators moved quickly alongside the National Police.

They found the women.

ALL SEVEN WERE RESCUED.

One trafficker was arrested, and authorities are actively searching for the rest of the network.

Today, all seven women are safe. They are receiving shelter, medical care, counseling, and protection as they begin rebuilding their lives.

This is real rescue.
These are real lives changed forever.

Join Answer International in the fight against human trafficking.

This is Redemption.