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.
Get a daily dose of Afghanistan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Afghanistan Sun.
More InformationNEW DELHI, India - India and China have agreed to push for an early disengagement of the frontline troops in ...
PanARMENIAN.Net - There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk ...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A Canadian man, one of the world's most wanted fugitives, has been arrested by the Central Unit ...
LOS ANGELES, California (ANI/Big News Network) - American award-winning TV and radio host Larry King, who became a household name ...
PanARMENIAN.Net - Hong Kong's government declared its first lockdown on Saturday, ordering thousands of people to stay in their homes ...
The top official at the U.S. Agency for Global Media has replaced the appointed heads of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, ...
Moscow [Russia], January 26 (ANI): Indian Ambassador to Russia DB Venkatesh Varma on Monday hosted a reception for Russian journalists ...
New Delhi [India], January 25 (ANI): Afghanistan will soon receive 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine from India, said Tahir Qadiry, ...
PanARMENIAN.Net - Bright Armenia leader Edmon Marukyan staged a protest before a PACE meeting on Monday, January 25, demanding the ...
Kabul [Afghanistan], January 25 (ANI/Sputnik): A roadside bomb blast targeting policemen in Afghanistan's western Herat province killed a chief of ...
China is opening its markets to Central Asia's fledgling food exporters, embarking on a new phase of economic engagement with ...
ANKARA - Pirates who seized 15 sailors when they stormed a Turkish-crewed container ship in the Gulf of Guinea two ...