He’d find girls or women from out of town, investigate their financial situations and then offer them better lives. Soon enough, he would have easily recruited another female to traffic and profit off of.
This former trafficker, who is remaining anonymous, is revealing his story at this moment because countless lives are at stake. As the World Cup heats up in Brazil, so does the risk of human trafficking.
To help protect potential victims, Operation Blessing International (OBI) has coincided the release of its documentary -- "1 Real: The Other Side of the Coin" -- with the famed soccer event.
The film, which features stories of victims and perpetrators, is being shown in all 12 World Cup match cities with the hope of educating locals and visitors about the horrifying crimes.
Every year, 40,000 children and adolescents disappear in Brazil and about 15 percent of those cases go unsolved, according OBI.
Experts say that the chances of getting exploited drastically increase during major sporting events.
"When large sporting events come to town, young girls are at heavy risk," Bill Horan, president of OBI, said in a statement. "Not far from where a FIFA World Cup match will be played, a family member or sex trafficker will sell a young child to a predator for as little as 50 cents, or 1 real, the currency of Brazil."
But those who buy and sell the victims make a considerable amount of money.
The former trafficker who was interviewed in the documentary said he’d make about $20,000 off each victim.
In addition to showing the film, OBI plans to raise awareness by distributing copies of the documentary, handing out "Hope Bags" to girls in the red light districts and distributing flyers with information on where to seek help.
It’s often the youngest victims who are most vulnerable.
"These girls come from extreme poverty," Antonia Lima Sousa, state prosecutor, told CNN of the underage prostitutes, "a culture of social exclusion and a tradition of profound disrespect for women."
Find out more about Operation Blessing International and how you can get involved with their efforts to help trafficking victims here.
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