In the month of July, AIM SWAT assisted with the execution of several different raids involving 10 women and minors being trafficked from Cambodia to China for marriage. In total, the 4 suspects responsible were arrested and 5 of the survivors rescued. Our team continues to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to rescue and bring home the other 5 survivors as quickly as possible.
In each case, the suspects had tricked the victims and their families from Kratie Province and Phnom Penh with promises of well-paying jobs in China. However, once the girls arrived they were forced into marriages. Most of them were able to contact their families who filed official complaints with the Kratie and Phnom Penh Police. With assistance from AIM SWAT, the officers were then able to investigate and arrest each suspect.
One female was arrested on July 7th for trafficking three 16-year-olds to China, one of whom has been rescued and brought home so far. Another female was arrested on July 16th after trafficking a 15-year-old and 2 adult women. And finally, 2 other females were arrested while in the process of selling 2 minors and 2 adults as brides on July 26th which you can read about on the Khmer Times.
The suspects will all remain in prison until their trials. The survivors, those who are yet to be rescued, and their families will all receive free representation from our legal team in the coming court proceedings. Our team has and will continue to work with partner shelters to help care for the girls and women so they can move forward in their restoration journeys.