News24
08 Nov 2019, 23:41 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 Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationLONDON, UK: The United States has pulled out of international talks in London about reducing pollution from ships. These talks are...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. government warned this week that Chinese spies are using trickery to try to hire current and former U.S....
SANTA Fe, New Mexico: More and more voters in New Mexico don't belong to any political party. Until now, they couldn't vote in primary...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration is in early talks about holding a large military parade in Washington, D.C., this summer—a...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump's choice to lead NASA, Jared Isaacman, has told lawmakers that sending astronauts back...
FRANKFORT/JACKSON: It is been about 45 years since a U.S. state last got rid of its income tax on wages and salaries. But now, Mississippi...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration is in early talks about holding a large military parade in Washington, D.C., this summer—a...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says it will not go ahead with a plan from the Biden administration...
(Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images) The Arizona Diamondbacks found some life after 17 scoreless innings Saturday, and their...
(Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images) Carson Kelly homered twice, singled and walked twice for the visiting Chicago Cubs in a...
(Photo credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images) Kansas City's Cole Ragans has pitched well after opening the season with a sub-par outing...
(Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images) Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a base-loaded sacrifice fly to cap a five-run ninth inning as...