The International Police better known as Interpol has rescued 64 human and sex trafficking victims comprising of Nigerians and citizens of three other African countries following a cordinated operation in Mali.
The raids were carried out at known trafficking and smuggling hotspots in the country and some of the rescued victims were mostly females.
Interpol said “The victims – mostly women and girls – were rescued from sexual exploitation forced labour in the mining sector, as well as forced begging. To support the Malian authorities to identify and dismantle the criminal groups operating in the country and more widely across the region. The nearly 70 victims identified and rescued came from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali; and were working in bars, homes and mining sites. Among them were three young boys rescued from an illegally operated Koranic school, where they were allegedly forced to beg for money”.