Anti-Trafficking Raids Explained: When Rescue Helps and When It Harms.

Anti-trafficking raids are commonly used to respond to suspected exploitation. They are often described as rescue efforts designed to protect victims and stop traffickers. However, evidence and survivor experiences show that these operations can have very different outcomes. In some cases, they provide safety and access to justice. In others, they result in detention, punishment, and lasting harm. This article explores how anti-trafficking raids work, why they can be harmful, and what more effective, survivor-centred approaches looks like.

What Are Anti-Trafficking Raids?

Anti-trafficking raids are law enforcement operations carried out in places suspected of exploitation, such as:

• Brothels or massage parlours

• Factories, farms, or construction sites

• Fishing vessels

• Private homes where domestic workers live

The stated goal is to identify traffickers and protect victims. In practice, raids are often enforcement-driven, rather than survivor-driven.

When “Rescue” Feels Like Arrest

Many trafficked persons experience raids as sudden and frightening events. Armed officers may enter without warning. People are questioned aggressively, separated from one another, and sometimes handcuffed.

Afterwards, those identified as “victims” are often:

• Placed in detention-like shelters

• Restricted from leaving or working

• Interrogated repeatedly

• Held for long periods while cases are investigated

  
  

Instead of being supported, survivors are treated as evidence. Their freedom is limited, even though they have committed no crime. This is where the need for a trauma-informed or a survivor- centred approach is necessary, as well as working with NGO's that specialise in these areas - we will visit this topic later on in the article.

Trauma on Top of Trauma

Most trafficked persons have already endured physical violence, sexual abuse, threats, and extreme control. Raids, especially those involving force, can retraumatize survivors.

The presence of weapons, shouting, and uniforms can trigger fear and panic, particularly for people who have experienced abuse by authorities in the past. Some survivors report that the raid itself was one of the most frightening moments of their lives.

Trauma makes it harder for survivors to speak openly, which affects both recovery and justice.

Criminalising the People Trafficking Laws Are Meant to Protect.

A major problem with raids is misidentification.

Trafficked persons are often forced to break laws as part of their exploitation, such as:

• Using false or expired documents

• Working without permits

• Engaging in criminalised labour or sex work

  
  

During raids, these acts are frequently treated as crimes rather than signs of coercion.

As a result, survivors may be:

• Arrested

• Charged with offences

• Fined or detained

• Deported back to unsafe conditions

This directly contradicts the purpose of anti-trafficking laws, which are meant to protect victims, not punish them.

Why Raids Rarely Stop Trafficking

While raids may shut down one location, they rarely dismantle trafficking networks.

Traffickers adapt quickly. They move locations, change recruitment methods, or push operations further underground. Meanwhile, the root causes of trafficking remain unchanged, including:

• Poverty and debt

• Lack of safe migration pathways

• Demand for cheap labour and commercial sex

• Discrimination against migrants and marginalised groups

Without addressing these conditions, trafficking continues and often in ways that are harder to detect and more dangerous.

Why Working With NGOs Matters

One of the most effective ways to reduce harm during anti-trafficking operations is collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as International Justice Mission (IJM) and other local anti-trafficking groups. These organisations bring a survivor-centred approach that law enforcement alone often cannot.

NGOs Help Decriminalise Survivors

NGOs are trained to identify trafficking through patterns of control and coercion, not just visible legal violations.

They help authorities understand that:

• A person’s “illegal” work may be forced

• Silence may come from fear, not guilt

• Inconsistent stories may be signs of trauma

By reframing these behaviours, NGOs help prevent survivors from being treated as criminals.

NGOs Reduce Wrongful Arrests, Detention, and Deportation

When NGOs are involved early:

• Survivors are less likely to be arrested

• Non-punishment principles are more likely to be applied

• Referrals to care happen faster

  
  

NGOs advocate for survivors to be placed in safe, voluntary services, not detention-like facilities. They also help explore legal protections, including immigration relief where available.

Trauma-Informed Identification Leads to Better Outcomes

Survivors rarely disclose abuse immediately. NGOs use trauma-informed approaches that prioritize safety, dignity, and trust.

This includes:

• Interviews without pressure or threats

• Access to interpreters

• Cultural sensitivity

• Time to process experiences

  
  

These methods lead to more accurate identification and prevent survivors from being wrongly labelled as offenders.

Stronger Cases Without Harming Survivors

Contrary to common belief, protecting survivors does not weaken prosecutions.

When survivors feel safe and supported, they are more likely to cooperate voluntarily. Testimony gathered ethically is more reliable, and cases are less likely to collapse due to retraumatization or withdrawal. Justice is stronger when survivors are treated as people, not tools.

Human Rights Approach vs. Enforcement-Only Approach

Human Rights Approach	Enforcement - Only Approach
Puts survivor safety and dignity first	Prioritizes arrests and visible action
Treats trafficked persons as rights-holders	Treats trafficked persons as suspects or evidence.
Applies the non-punishment principle	Criminalizes immigration, labor or sex work violations
Uses trauma-informed interviews	Uses rapid questioning and pressure to disclose
Offers voluntary support services	Forces placement in shelters or detention-like facilities.
Involves NGO/s and survivor advocates	Operates primarily through police action.
Focuses on long-terms safety and recovery	Focuses on short-term disruption
Measures success by survivor well-being	Measures success by number of raids and arrests.

A key strength of International Justice Mission and other anti-trafficking organisations' rescue approach is that it treats rescue as the beginning of protection, not the end. Survivors are connected to immediate and voluntary aftercare, including safe housing, medical care, counselling, and legal support, which reduces the risk of re-exploitation. At the same time, IJM supports legal accountability by helping build strong cases against perpetrators while minimising harm and retraumatisation for survivors. Beyond individual cases, IJM works to strengthen justice systems through training and policy support, addressing the conditions that allow trafficking to persist and reducing reliance on repeated, enforcement-heavy raids.

Rethinking “Rescue”

Ending human trafficking is essential. But rescue should not come at the cost of freedom, dignity, or safety. Protection should not feel like punishment. Justice should not harm the people it aims to protect. True anti-trafficking work focuses not on dramatic raids, but on lasting solutions, ones that place survivors’ rights, voices, and well-being at the centre.

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