A rescue from modern slavery.

Back in October 2025, a “recruiter” lured the victims to the tyre rim factory with generous payment advances, which he said they could repay through their labour. Instead, the factory owners forced them to work 12- to 15-hour days in harsh conditions to make tyre wheels for name-brand scooters. 

Life at the factory was brutal. The victim’s phones were seized and they were never allowed to leave the factory premises, sleeping on the floor in a room attached to the worksite. The victims reported being assaulted and threatened by a labour contractor and two of his associates. They said 10 to 14 other workers had fled the factory recently due to ongoing exploitation.  

The labourers reached a breaking point when the 16-year-old boy got his hand trapped in the factory’s heavy machinery. The owner quietly took the boy to a hospital to stop his bleeding but forced him back to work shortly after. 

The incident terrified the other workers, and they realised how urgently they needed help. When the supervisor mentioned the need for additional labourers, one of the victims requested access to his confiscated phone to recruit some. He then secretly narrated their plight to Google AI on his smartphone, which suggested reporting the case to the district government, to police, or to IJM’s local partner. He managed to secretly contact their team and report the abuse. 

A multidisciplinary rescue team—comprised of officials from the Labor Department, district administration, police, India Labourline, IJM and our partners—arrived at the factory on 4 February 2026 to investigate the case and free the trapped workers. Authorities brought the seven victims to safety but were reluctant to file charges against the powerful factory owners until the NGOs present advocated the seriousness of the alleged abuse.  

Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) to initiate charges under India’s penal code and Bonded Labor System Abolition Act. Two suspects have been officially arrested, and a third is currently absconding. Police are actively working to trace and apprehend him.

Officials had also initially objected to providing Release Certificates to the seven victims—which would formally identify them as bonded labourers and provide rehabilitation benefits—but several days later, they complied and issued the forms. These crucial documents will entitle the survivors to long-term protection and support from the government as they heal. 

Following the rescue

IJM’s partner coordinated safe temporary shelter for the seven survivors and safe transportation back to their hometowns. Our team will help provide long-term rehabilitation support, particularly for the 16-year-old boy navigating his injuries.

An IJM staff member described, “Unlike routine rescues, this operation involved multiple challenges. However, the Labor Department pursued the matter until the due process was completed. [This boy] lost his three fingers, but not his dignity. Exploitation is a crime, no matter how powerful the exploiter.”

Article supplied with thanks to IJM

IJM is committed to protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of vulnerable people. Names, details and images may be changed or represented by actors to protect identities. All stories and images are used with informed consent and safeguarding practices.

Feature image: Supplied (IJM Australia)

Online sexual exploitation is one of the fastest-growing forms of child exploitation, and it is not a distant problem.

Australia is the third top source country for payments to the Philippines relating to online sexual exploitation of children.¹ Children are being sexually abused on everyday platforms and devices. Some of the worst harm to children is livestreamed in private spaces like video calls and secure messaging apps.

Here are four myths about technology & child protection – and the truth you need to know about the progress being made.

Myth 1: The technology to block child abuse material doesn’t exist.

Not only does the technology already exist – it works. AI-driven, on-device technology now exists that can detect and disrupt livestreamed child sexual abuse in real time. What does this mean?

• Abuse can be detected and disrupted in real time, even during livestreams
• Some tools are already in use today. 

  Since 2016, our team has worked in the Philippines to combat online exploitation. We’ve walked with many survivors, and we know how profoundly prevention could change a child’s life. Imagine how many children worldwide would be protected if this technology were on every device.

Hear from Sharon Purcey, SafeToNet’s Co-Founder, on how this groundbreaking new technology works.

Myth 2: I will lose privacy on my device. 

Privacy and protection can coexist. 

When it comes to keeping children safe online, many people naturally worry that stronger protections may come at the cost of personal privacy. Maybe you have heard someone say:  
“If my device is scanned for child abuse material, doesn’t that mean they can read my private messages?”

We hear you. Everyone deserves the right to privacy. 
Yet at the same time, we all want children to be safe from harm.  
It begs the question. How do we address this?  

The good news is that we don’t have to choose – privacy and protection can coexist, and we have seen it work. Sharon shares more. 

Myth 3: This is a law enforcement issue, not a tech issue.

Technology can help prevent harm, just like seatbelts can help prevent injury. 

Cars are made safer by design – with seatbelts, airbags, and standards we expect every manufacturer to meet. When the everyday digital systems we use are designed without safeguards, children pay the price. 

Keeping children safe requires responsibility from technology companies and strong legislation working together. Digital platforms can be designed to detect and block child sexual abuse material before harm spreads.

John Tanagho, Executive Director for IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children unpacks this: 

Myth 4: This can’t be solved. 

Change is possible – harm is not inevitable! Real progress has already been made.
And when governments, companies, and communities act together, even more is possible.

Protecting children online is not unrealistic – it’s achievable when safety is built in by design.

Hear from survivor leader, Barbie: 

The good news – this harm is preventable. Right now, Australia is deciding how strong our online safety laws will be. By adding your name, you’re helping call for laws that require tech companies to build in protections that prevent this abuse before it happens.

Article supplied with thanks to IJM

IJM is committed to protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of vulnerable people. Names, details and images may be changed or represented by actors to protect identities. All stories and images are used with informed consent and safeguarding practices.

Feature image: Supplied (IJM )

Australia’s Modern Slavery Act will be strengthened with a new criminal offence and civil penalties.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland announced mid-July of proposed changes to the Modern Slavery Act, including a criminal offence which will apply where companies with annual consolidated revenue of more than $100 million fail to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. The proposed offence includes a defence where companies can prove that they took reasonable steps to prevent such harm. 

David Braga, CEO of IJM Australia welcomed the announcement and the opportunity to consult on the proposed legislation.

“Modern slavery affects an estimated 50 million people across the world,” Mr Braga said.

“The International Labour Organisation estimates that half of those trapped in modern slavery are located the Asia Pacific, and frighteningly, one in four of those people are children.” 

International Justice Mission works to combat modern slavery across our region in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and South Asia. In 2025 across these countries, IJM and partners secured freedom for over 2,500 victims of forced labour and saw over 180 trafficking suspects charged. 2025 also saw 66 criminals convicted of trafficking offences as a result of IJM’s work.

“As a regional leader Australia must take a firm stance to stamp out this horrific practice. Adding a criminal offence is an important step to show how seriously the Albanese Government takes modern slavery.”

While Australia has existing provisions that require companies to report on the actions they are taking to assess and address risks of modern slavery in their supply chains, the proposed changes are a significant step in requiring companies to take stronger actions. IJM also welcomes the intention flagged by the Attorney-General to consult on options to provide remedies to victims. 

“Consultation will be important to lift up survivor voices and ensure that their experience is heard and understood alongside the experience of businesses in finalising this legislation,” Mr Braga added.

“In particular, we welcome consideration of remedies for victims as a key part of this process. We need to recognise the reality of modern slavery for real people and that the standard of living we enjoy in Australia, at times, comes at a horrific human cost.”

“What we cannot allow in the passage of this legislation is to see the intention dulled. This cannot be about profits at the cost of people. The Attorney-General has made clear that the intention of this legislation is to give the Modern Slavery Act the teeth it needs.”

“The Australian public expects the government to lead from the front on this issue, and IJM Australia is very pleased to be part of that process.”

Article supplied with thanks to IJM.

IJM is committed to protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of vulnerable people. Names, details and images may be changed or represented by actors to protect identities. All stories and images are used with informed consent and safeguarding practices.

Feature image: Canva

His story is a testimony to his resilience, courage and the power of survivor-led advocacy.

Through his words and actions, Jerry is protecting children from ever experiencing the harm he once faced on Lake Volta – the largest man-made lake in the world. 

Like many children in vulnerable communities, Jerry was lured into exploitative labour by traffickers who promised food, education, and a better future. His mother thought that by sending Jerry away she was giving her son the chance of an education she would struggle to afford. Jerry estimates he was about nine years old when he left his home, believing he was stepping into a new chapter filled with opportunity. Instead, cruelty and exploitation awaited him. 

Jerry was forced into hazardous child labour on the Volta Lake. He spent his days hauling heavy fishing nets, his small hands swollen and bruised, while older fishermen barked orders and threats. He was beaten, starved, and denied rest. On his very first day, he nearly drowned. The dream of security and education quickly dissolved into a daily struggle for survival.  

“I was supposed to be there for four years,” Jerry recalls, “but two years in, my mother learned the truth, how I was beaten, starved, and forced to work without rest. She fought to bring me home.” 

Jerry’s mother, a quiet but determined woman, was devastated when she discovered what had happened to her son. Another mother in the community had shared the truth with her, and from that moment, she vowed to rescue him. 

“When I heard what was happening to my son, my heart broke,” she says.

Jerry returned home malnourished and traumatised, but with a fierce determination to reclaim his life. He walked back into a classroom, ready to pursue the education that had once been promised to him. 

His journey to freedom was not easy

The scars, both physical and emotional, ran deep. But Jerry refused to let his past define him. 

Today, he is a pupil teacher and a passionate advocate against child trafficking. In the classroom, he is admired not only for his dedication but for the strength of his character. 

“Jerry is one of the most hardworking young men I have ever met,” says one of his senior colleagues. “He gives back to this community, ensuring no child goes through what he did.” 

In 2022, Jerry met Josephine Aparo as a chapter of survivors was forming in his region, and Jerry was voted in as leader of the Courageous Crew chapter of the Ghana Survivor Network. 

The Ghana Survivor Network, in alliance with the Global Survivor Network (GSN), is a group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable from violence.

Now, Jerry works tirelessly to educate families about the dangers of trafficking. He collaborates with law enforcement and NGOs, speaking at community gatherings and warning parents about deceptive tactics used by traffickers. Despite facing stigma and threats, he remains resolute. “There is a stigma,” Jerry admits. “Some people see us as damaged. Others think we should just move on. But I refuse to be silent. I know what it means to suffer. And if I can stop even one child from going through what I did, then my pain has meaning.”

“No child deserves what I went through,” he says. “If you see something, say something. If you suspect trafficking, report it. Together, we can end this.”  

From the shores of Lake Volta to the frontlines of community activism, Jerry walks forward with purpose. His past fuels his mission, and his voice carries the weight of experience and the promise of change. 

Article supplied with thanks to IJM

IJM is committed to protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of vulnerable people. Names, details and images may be changed or represented by actors to protect identities. All stories and images are used with informed consent and safeguarding practices.

Feature image: Supplied