More Than 100 Survivors Rescued Within 6 Months—The Exodus Road Combats Human Trafficking with Cellebrite’s Investigative Solutions

At the start of 2024, Cellebrite embarked on a groundbreaking public commitment to reduce crimes against children and online exploitation with its Operation Find Them All campaign. One of its key partners in the mission is The Exodus Road (TER), an international nonprofit organization disrupting human trafficking crime through intervention, prevention and aftercare programs.

Six months into the mission, thanks to the incredible efforts of TER and their law enforcement partners in Thailand, the Philippines and Brazil, 128 survivors have been rescued from captivity and returned to the safety of their homes.

As a partner of Operation Find Them All, TER continues to use education and forensics technology to combat human trafficking—with the deployment of 10 Cellebrite Inseyets (UFED) devices that help law enforcement access and extract data from devices belonging to bad actors who participate in the human trafficking.

Total Impact from Operation Find Them All in 6 months:

• Six months of work with law enforcement in Thailand, Brazil and the Philippines
• 4,627 law enforcement officers engaged in training events
• 128 survivors of trafficking freed
• 46 human traffickers/offenders arrested
• 10 Cellebrite Inseyets (UFED) devices and licenses deployed

Empowering Thai Law Enforcement to Combat Crime

• 49 Human trafficking survivors freed in Thailand
• 10 cases resulting in the arrest of 24 perpetrators
• 143 Law enforcement officers engaged in training events

In March of 2024, 43 officers from multiple divisions of the Thai Royal Police attended comprehensive training in tools such as Cellebrite Inseyets and Cellebrite Pathfinder. The event, organized by TER, proved useful—as police units became more proficient in extracting and analyzing digital evidence. Thai officers began using their newfound capabilities in the field, with one such case that involved gathering evidence from devices linked to a notorious bar known as a hotspot for human trafficking activities.

In keeping with its reputation for analyzing large criminal networks, Cellebrite Pathfinder uncovered a criminal trail across borders. Authorities were able to locate and dismantle intricate criminal networks in Cambodia, as well as rescue victims from scam compounds in Myanmar. During one brave rescue operation, TER aided law enforcement in the release of two Moroccan victims trapped in a scam compound on the border of Thailand. Authorities are working toward rescuing the remaining 16 Moroccan captives.

The success in Thailand illustrates the efficacy of Cellebrite’s investigative solutions which are well-suited for taking down larger human trafficking rings, a key part of a larger law enforcement strategy.

Education and Technology to Protect Children in the Philippines

• 62 trafficked survivors freed
• 22 perpetrators arrested
• 32 Law enforcement officers engaged in training events

A third of the investigations TER helped in the Philippines were OSEC (Online Sexual Exploitation of Children) cases. During the first half of 2024, the combined efforts of investigators, support teams and the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) led to operations resulting in freedom for 16 minors.

As part of Operation Find Them All, Cellebrite partnered with TER in preparing authorities to conduct search and rescue operations. TER donated digital investigative solutions to law enforcement partners and organized workshops for 18 NBI agents from the Violence Against Women and Children Division.

“I’d like to do this training more often because it helps us to have self-reflection. This training greatly helped our department in fostering staff camaraderie,” said one agent who believes in the necessity of complementing technical readiness with emotional preparation. Strengthened team morale goes a long way when confronting the brutal realities of human trafficking.

In one win for the side of justice, the NBI rescued 10 kids from further sexual exploitation under insidious domestic circumstances. Using Cellebrite tools, the investigative team collected  digital evidence which lead to the arrest of the perpetrators—the victims’ family members, who sold sexually explicit photos and videos of the victims on online platforms. Some perpetrators were the survivors’ own parents.

Since their rescue, the seven girls and three boys have been placed in safe houses where they receive trauma-informed care to assist them on their recovery journey. The adults responsible for the abuse of these young lives now face serious legal repercussions.

Rescuing Victims of Predatory Manipulation in Brazil

• 20 Survivors freed
• 4,452 Law enforcement officers engaged in training events

In Brazil, TER remains hard at work, supporting law enforcement across multiple agencies, including Brazil’s Federal Police, Civil Police, and Border Police. TER helps local agents identify victims and track down criminals by deploying Cellebrite technology and offering agents TraffickWatch Academy training.

One law enforcement officer from the Federal Police in Brazil said, “I cannot overemphasize the need to maintain our agency’s partnership with The Exodus Road. It has bolstered our counter-human trafficking efforts and led to further identification of victims of exploitation.”

The partnership led to the success of Operation Worth—where a teenage Brazilian girl was successfully brought home after criminal trafficked her to Paraguay. Faced with the all-too-familiar turmoils of adolescence, the teen was vulnerable to malicious intent. The offender preyed on Alana’s diminished sense of self-worth, manipulating her into effective captivity in an abandoned house.