Mali police rescue more than 60 trafficking victims: Interpol

News24
09 Nov 2019, 04:11 GMT+10

Malian police rescued more than 60 victims of human trafficking, mostly women and girls, who were subjected to sexual exploitation, forced labour and begging, Interpol said Friday.

Four suspected traffickers were detained in the joint operation launched in early October between Malian authorities and the international police organisation.

The 64 victims, from Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Mali, had been "exploited in different countries before their arrival in Bamako", where they were found working in bars, homes and mining sites, Interpol said in a statement.

Due to its geographical position in West Africa, Mali is a transit country for thousands of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa who try to reach Europe and North Africa.

Trucks carrying migrants north frequently breakdown in the desert or become lost, with smugglers sometimes abandoning their human cargo, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in June.

More than 160,000 migrants made their way to Mali between July 2016 and 31 January 2019, according to data collected by the IOM.

"Mali serves as major transit country for human traffickers who target the most vulnerable members of society," Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock said on Friday.

"This operation showed that human trafficking and people smuggling is a truly transnational problem," he added.

Interpol said during the operation the Malian government passed a decree to create a police unit dedicated to tackling human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Argentina Star.

More Information

23 ℃

Fair in Buenos Aires/Aeroparque

International

Section

Search for gunman after shooting of ten people in Fresno

FRESNO, California - Fresno remains in shock after being the latest U.S. city to endure a mass shooting.The death toll ...

FBI indictment of Epstein did not extend to British prince accusations

WASHINGTON, DC - Charges leveled by the FBI against Jeffrey Epsten filed before his suicide did not extend to claims ...

Israeli army cops flak after blinding journalist in one eye

The International Federation of Journalists, the global advocacy group founded in1926, slammed the Israeli army for the shooting of a ...

Rohingya refugees get backing of international court

Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity, namely deportation, which have ...

Turkey says PKK/YPG 'terrorists' carried out al-Bab attack

AL-BAB, Syria - The Turkish Defence Ministry has confirmed that at least 18 civilians were killed and twenty-seven injured in ...

Congress probing Trump tax law being exploited by the wealthy

Billionaires Keep Benefiting From a Tax Break to Help the Poor. Now, Congress Wants to Investigate.ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning ...

Business

Section