By Chayada Rungtao | Media and Communications Officer
In the digital age, connection can also mean vulnerability. Behind the screen of online platforms, networks of exploitation can hide, turning technology into a tool for trafficking.
Poverty can force an impossible choice. For two stepsisters, Ratre and Manee, a difficult home life pushed them into a world of exploitation.
Desperate to survive and provide even a small comfort for her younger sister, Ratre made an unthinkable decision. She introduced Manee to the same dangerous world that had trapped her.
For nearly a year, Manee was caught in this cycle. Her freedom came when our partners, the Region 5 Royal Thai Police, intervened.
This is where one rescue became a large-scale operation. The police asked for LIFT’s Digital Forensics support, knowing that online platforms are often used to hide and facilitate this kind of exploitation. After 60 hours of expert analysis, our team found something bigger than a single case. They uncovered a network, with trails leading to dozens of men who were buying children for sex.
This discovery launched a major joint investigation. In a single week, a task force of LIFT, our partners, and the police arrested 35 suspected child sex buyers across 9 districts. A network was dismantled.
Today, Manee is safe. She is healing with the support of our social workers. At the same time, our legal team is fighting to secure $40,000 in compensation for the trauma she endured.
Her sister Ratre’s case reminds us how complex this fight is. She is both a victim and an offender. It shows why our work must also safeguard at-risk youth before they are forced to become traffickers themselves.
Manee’s story is one of profound courage. And because of you, it is part of a much larger victory for justice.
Your support is woven into the lives of 905 children and teens now safe from trafficking.
It is behind the 465 offenders arrested, ensuring they can no longer harm others. It is the force behind 3,967 years in combined prison sentences—a clear message that this crime will not be tolerated. And it is the hope in $1.68M NZD in compensation, recovered from criminals and returned to survivors to help them rebuild.
These are not just numbers. They are futures reclaimed. They are families restored. They are cycles broken.
Your generousity is the start of their justice that rewrites their story. Thank you for standing with us in this fight.
* Name changed to protect the survivor.
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