Forced into fraud, Zambia trafficking survivors recover with sisters’ help

Angela came across an ad on Facebook in February 2021 for a teaching job in Thailand with a good salary. The company was looking for an English teacher who also spoke Mandarin.

Angela, who spoke both languages, applied for the job. When she arrived in Thailand, she discovered that it was not a teaching job: instead, she was forced to scam people online to defraud them or to involve them in an online scam.

She explained to Global Sisters Report that she was trafficked from Zambia to Thailand by a criminal gang, who confiscated her travel documents and demanded that she recruit more people or pay a large ransom to be released.

“If you refuse to work, we will torture or electrocute you,” Angela recalled her tormentors telling her. (She asked that her real name not be revealed.)

They forced her into one of the fastest growing scams in the world: the pig slaughter scam, in which scammers trick people into investing in cryptocurrency platforms after building trust through digital relationships. Surprisingly, some scammers, like Angela, are victims of human trafficking themselves. They often trick people with promises of real jobs and then coerce them into scams through violent threats.

Hundreds of thousands of people who are trafficked after being lured by online job offers promising high-paying jobs end up in Southeast Asia, particularly in countries such as Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines, according to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Office. The report notes that traffickers confiscate victims’ travel documents upon arrival and hold them captive. Victims are tortured, sexually abused and forced to work in online scams.

Angela and her three colleagues escaped from their workplace near the Thai-Laos border after being beaten for a year. They hid in a garbage truck and turned themselves in to police when they got out. Police held them for two weeks for being in the country illegally before deporting Angela back to Zambia.

“My only wish was to go there and find a job that could change my life and the lives of my brothers and sisters,” she said, fighting back tears. “But when I got there, my life changed for the worse because I did things to people that I regret to this day. I stole from innocent people and I can never forgive myself for that.”

After returning to Zambia, Angela struggled with serious mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her church members introduced her to the religious sisters who run Talitha Kum Zambia, or TAKUZA, an organization that aims to end human trafficking in Zambia.

TAKUZA consists of 45 religious sisters from different congregations who are committed to identifying those who are victims of human trafficking. The sisters also work to raise awareness and provide support to victims of human trafficking. TAKUZA works in partnership with other organizations, such as the police and counseling units in Zambia, where counselors help victims of human trafficking recover from trauma.

“Human trafficking is a global problem and as TAKUZA we address all issues related to human trafficking,” said Sr. Kayula Lesa, a member of the Religious Sisters of Charity. “As an organization, we are constantly looking for individuals who have been trafficked or are at risk and need our help. We provide counseling and psychological support to the victims, giving them the opportunity to express themselves, heal, rebuild their self-confidence and live a better life.”

TAKUZA is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which also provides funding for the Global Sisters Report.

Lesa noted that Angela had experienced severe violence, sexual exploitation and psychological abuse during her time as a prisoner in Thailand. In addition to her PTSD, anxiety and depression, she also felt shame.

“We have counselors who work with Angela and other survivors to help them recover from their trauma and manage their mental health,” Lesa said. “We also focus on reintegrating survivors into their families and enabling them to start small businesses.”

Angela is one of thousands of human trafficking survivors receiving support from religious sisters in the southern African nation of more than 20.7 million people. Forms of human trafficking include forced labor, sexual exploitation, forced criminal activity, forced marriage, illegal adoption, slavery, organ removal and infant trafficking.

The landlocked country is vulnerable to modern slavery as a source, transit and destination country, particularly for women and children, according to the 2023 edition of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report released by the U.S. State Department. The report notes that most cases occur along the country’s borders and involve the trafficking of women and children from poor rural areas to urban or neighboring countries, including Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

The report further shows that these trafficked women and children are subjected to sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced begging or labour at various destinations, as the trafficking routes between the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa often pass through the country.

Meanwhile, the US State Department report acknowledges that despite Zambia not fully meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, the country is committed to combating exploitation and trafficking. According to the report, authorities initiated 42 trafficking investigations in 2022 and are continuing eight investigations, compared to 12 investigations in 2021. In addition, 79 trafficking victims were identified in 2022, compared to 42 in 2021.

Lesa, TAKUZA’s country director, said: “Our efforts to address exploitation and human trafficking have over time led to a reduction in the number of human trafficking cases in the country and we have been able to restore the future of many victims.”

She added that her organization has intensified nationwide awareness campaigns to reach all victims of human trafficking and train communities to recognize human trafficking and its targets, especially youth.

“As sisters, we organize monthly workshops in schools and churches to raise awareness and help young people who are victims of human trafficking,” she said, noting that the economic and educational opportunities her organization has provided to victims and young people in recent years would further reduce the risk of human trafficking due to poverty.

Sr. Patience Shinondo and Fr. Philip Meraba, both of TAKUZA, are advocating to address the problem of illegal migration by urging the government to tighten borders. According to Shinondo, Zambia is struggling with the problem of human trafficking, with many victims being brought into the country to work in the mining sector. Zambia is Africa’s second largest copper producer after neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Once the government finds these illegal immigrants, they arrest them and put them in jail without the possibility of returning to their country of origin,” said Meraba, a member of the Society of Missionaries of Africa. He explained how they visit those arrested in jail and help them be deported back to their country.

Shinondo, a member of the Religious Sisters of Charity, said she is working to raise more resources to help more victims of human trafficking. She plans to provide training in skills such as tailoring, catering and mechanics to help them rebuild their lives. For those who are incarcerated for smuggling, she said they will be released on bail and given plane tickets to return to their home countries.

“Since the start of this project last year, we have successfully assisted the return of five illegal immigrants to their homes,” she reported.

Currently, Angela is hopeful that the therapy sessions she is undergoing at TAKUZA will help her fully heal and move on with her life.

She said: “I have returned to the country but I still don’t have a job. My problems remain but I am hopeful that things will improve. Although it is difficult to forget what I have been through, I feel somewhat happy because of the continued support I receive from my therapist and the religious sisters.”