Since AIM SWAT (Rescue) Team started in April 2014, we’ve seen more than 600 children, women and men assisted by the efforts of this program. Today we celebrate a new number – 100. Over the course of 2 raids on Tuesday, 8 suspected minors and 1 woman were rescued. Among those 8 minors was our 100th underage rescue. Now that’s worth celebrating! Get the details from both raids in the reports provided by the Director of Investigations below and read The Cambodia Daily’s news story HERE:
Case 1 –
At 3:30pm on Tuesday the 13th of September, Phnom Penh Municipal Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Police (AHTJP) supported by AIM SWAT (Rescue) Officers conducted a raid on a Vietnamese brothel fronting as a massage parlor in Central Phnom Penh. The raid followed a covert operation, which identified minors being sold for sex at the brothel. During the raid, 3 were rescued, 2 of whom are believed to be minors, while the brothel manager was arrested on suspicion of child sex trafficking related offences. During interviews, the girls and woman admitted being sold for the profit of the manager, who has subsequently been charged and remanded to prison to await trial. The brothel was officially closed and locked up by police and the local authority. The AIM SWAT Legal Team will provide free counsel throughout the court process to the minors who have now been transferred to AIM Restoration Home for aftercare services.
Case 2 –
At 7:30pm on Wednesday the 13th of September, Phnom Penh Department of Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Police (AHTJP) with AIM SWAT Officers conducted a raid on a notorious child brothel in Central Phnom Penh. During the raid, 6 suspected minors were rescued and 3 suspected traffickers arrested. The raid followed a covert operation lasting almost 4 months, during which the suspected traffickers and victims were identified and the trafficking network was established. This brothel had been known about for many years but previous attempts to rescue the girls and arrest the traffickers had always failed – until now. This raid makes a significant statement about the determination of the AHTJP to fight child sex trafficking in Cambodia. During interviews, all victims admitted being sold for the profit of the traffickers and partial admissions were made by the traffickers themselves. All 6 girls have been transferred to AIM Restoration Home for aftercare services and the 3 arrested have been charged with child sex trafficking related offences and remanded to prison to await trial. The AIM SWAT Legal Team will provide free counsel to the girls throughout the legal process.
For more information about AIM SWAT Team (AIM Rescue Team) and the work they do, click HERE.