The Face of a Trafficker

For nearly two years, a woman named Jisni* lived in a small village in Southeast Asia, luring young girls away from the safety of their homes with false promises of a better life. With this deception, she trafficked them across borders to India. Knowing that, but unable to collect enough evidence against her, the chairman of one of our anti-trafficking stations asked our staff to watch her carefully, hoping to catch her engaging in criminal activity.

Determined to stop Jisni from continuing to sacrifice the lives of young girls for her own profit, one of our female staff members visited her home and posed as a potential victim. She asked Jisni about the process of getting to India and finding employment, telling her that she was desperate to escape an abusive and alcoholic husband.

Jisni informed our staff member that she already had two girls from another village who were ready to travel with her to India, and she described where to meet up with them and how to prepare for the trip. She also told her to get ready that night because they would be leaving the next day. Our female staff member, accompanied by other Love Justice staff, reached the village and met the young girls who were preparing to leave with Jisni, believing they were on their way to a better life. Their bags were already packed, and someone was scheduled to take their things across the border that same evening.

The girls had been instructed to dress in shabby clothes, carry old bags, wear slippers, and have uncombed hair so that people wouldn’t recognize them or become suspicious. If anyone asked them questions or stopped them, they were directed to say that they were going to the India-side market for grocery shopping. The trafficker was planning to take the girls to an area at the border where they have a busy market on Saturdays — making it one of the easiest days to cross the border without raising any red flags.

After hearing and investigating all of the scheduled plans, our staff arrived at the transit station early the next morning. Adorned with scarves in hopes of avoiding unnecessary attention, they waited for the girls to appear. Around 7:00 a.m., the two young girls arrived, accompanied by their trafficker. When they boarded the bus traveling to India, our staff followed them and took seats behind them.

Throughout the entire process, our staff kept updating our chairman, who was waiting at the border with the police. With the cooperation of law enforcement, we were able to detain them at the border and thoroughly investigate the activity taking place.

At first, the girls attempted to deny the allegations, repeating the story their trafficker had instructed them to say. Eventually, through further questioning and conversation, they were devastated to learn of the true nature of their trip. The girls were shocked when it was revealed that they were in the process of being sold to a trafficker in India. Jisni was successfully taken into police custody, and the girls were safely returned home to their parents.

This is just one of many stories that we hear from our border stations every day. Human trafficking is a reality we must acknowledge in order to end it. Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day—a national day to shed light on the reality of human trafficking. In 2016, the number of people living in the bondage of human trafficking is estimated to be close to 40 million total slaves, with a staggering 71% of the victims being women and children (Global Slavery Index).

Love Justice International is determined to fight for the innocent lives that would otherwise end up in the horrors of trafficking, helping to ensure that each individual we come in contact with is returned to safety. Learn more here about how you can get involved with fighting human trafficking during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

*Name has been changed for security reasons.