Over 1,300 Women and Girls Rescued from Human Trafficking

by Greg Buzek

Rescuing More Than 1,300 in India

When women and girls are rescued from human trafficking what happens next? They need immediate emergency medical care and provision of basic needs, therapy for overcoming trauma, and assistance for ongoing medical evaluations.

 These things are provided at a border monitoring and rescue station in Panitanki, India  operated by Free for Life International, a RetailROI partner organization. During a recent visit Gabrielle Thompson, Executive Director/CEO of Free for Life International (FFLI), spent time with recently rescued victims and the station’s ‘house mother,’ who is in charge of immediate care at the facility.

“RetailROI has been supporting Free for Life International for more than seven years,” says Thompson, “and it is a huge reason for our incredible success of rescuing the lives of over 1318 women and girls and helping arrest 79 traffickers to date.”

Visiting rescue and restoration program locations is vital part of the job, according to Thompson, because it provides an opportunity to evaluate the work being done on the ground and a way to offer encouragement and support to the staff that works tirelessly at the border. 

Regarding the work done by FFLI, which can be daunting and challenging but also incredibly rewarding and powerful, according to Thompson.

“There is no group that has walked beside Free for Life International more closely than Retail Orphan Initiative,” says Thompson. “For over seven years, ROI has been steadfast in its partnership to see lives transformed. It is only through ROI’s generosity we have been able to rescue and restore 1,300 women and girls around the world. Because of ROI, we implemented a global human trafficking prevention curriculum, sent the first team to provide relief supplies in remote areas of Nepal after the 2014 earthquake, and established a skills training center for survivors.”