A Sunshine Coast-based organisation dedicated to combating human trafficking around the world has marked a bittersweet milestone after more than 20 years of raids.
Destiny Rescue recently marked its 14,500th rescue since the not-for-profit organisation began in 2001.
Regularly working with international authorities, Destiny Rescue conducts raids in 12 countries to rescue children from trafficking and exploitation.
Destiny Rescue Australia CEO Paul Mergard expressed his gratitude to those who have contributed to the organisation in its bid to keep children safe.
“This milestone is not just a number, it represents the countless stories of survival, hope and resilience,” he said.
“Each rescue is a testament to the dedication of our team, the unwavering support from our partners and the courage of survivors who inspire us every day.”
Mr Mergard said Destiny Rescue on average rescued 16 people a day across Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Nepal, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe and countries in Latin and Central America.
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“When our teams are going undercover into bars and establishments right across the world, we don’t have to dig very deep before we find children being exploited,” he said.
He said the organisation had come across instances where Australians were “unfortunately” contributing to the problem.
“We recently held a raid in the Philippines where we were able to rescue a five-year-old girl who was being exploited online,” Mr Mergard said.
“After the rescue, we were able to hand over to the Australian Federal Police the names of 395 Australian men that were involved in the exploitation of that little girl.
“We’re working with the federal government, encouraging them to strengthen the laws and change the definitions around modern slavery because it excludes child sexual exploitation.
“We want to see those laws tightened and the penalties increased so there’s more deterrents against people exploiting children across the world.”
Mr Mergard there was still more to be done and Destiny Rescue was grateful for the number of people organising community fundraisers this year to help support their cause.
On average it costs Destiny Rescue $1800 to rescue a child.
He is also thanking Calandra City Autos, which has supported the cause for a decade.
“Caloundra City Autos has helped our organisation rescue 50 children since they started supporting us over 10 years ago,” he said.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of people organising incredible fundraisers this year, getting involved in the community doing fun runs, walks, pull-up challenges and other fundraising initiatives.
“We’re so grateful for these amazing humans.
“As we continue our mission, we invite businesses, communities and individuals to join us in the fight against human trafficking by raising awareness and fostering collaboration.”
More information is available here.
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