Child Rescue is the New Zealand branch of the Destiny Rescue family, a global network of organisations. At times, we may use ‘we’ and ‘our’ alongside Destiny Rescue to reflect the collective efforts of this international network in rescuing children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and supporting their long-term freedom.

She was only 8. He was fine with that.

But her mother wasn’t.

When Mom saw secret messages from a man claiming to be a talent scout, she knew that her little girl, a charismatic singer named Awit, was being targeted. So she went straight to the police.

They’d heard about this man: after claiming to help make little girls famous, he’d negotiate for explicit photos before flying into the Philippines for a fake photoshoot, then sexually abuse the children.

Officers recruited the brave mother to help them catch the suspect. The plan was set: Mom would arrange to meet him in a local hotel for the alleged photoshoot with Awit. A female officer with a slight frame would wear a facemask and pose as the child for the in-person meeting. Once the man entered the room, officers would arrest him.

One of our agents came to the hotel to support the operation. As he walked into the command room, he was struck by an unexpected sound:

A child was singing.

Surrounded by officers, Awit bounced happily on the hotel bed, singing her heart out. Officers applauded every song before the fearless child launched into the next one, holding her own little private concert. In another part of the room, her nervous mother spoke with the officer who’d impersonate the victim as they prepared for the meeting.

It was a striking contrast: the exuberant child shone with innocent joy and confidence while her mother silently bore the gravity of what was happening tonight. The woman risked herself to preserve that bright, childish joy from an evil man who would exploit her callow hopes.

“That moment reminded me why we commit ourselves to this work,” the agent said later. “We do this because children like her deserve to remain children. We do this because they deserve to be protected before someone takes advantage of their innocence.”

The time finally came. Mom and the undercover officer moved into the meetup room down the hall while our agent and other undercover officers moved to a lounge area so they could see the room.

Discreet messages came in. The suspect had entered the building.

He was crossing the lobby.

He’d entered the elevator.

Our agent kept his gaze averted when the elevator dinged, and the young man stepped out. The agent and officers chatted lightly about local politics as the suspect walked to the room where he planned to abuse a little girl.

The predator knocked. Mom opened the door, letting him in. Moments later, officers received the “go” signal. Conversation stopped as officers jumped up and hurried down the hallway. The mother answered the door again, but now officers gently guided her out of the room as they rushed in.

The emotional release came suddenly. Mom collapsed in the hallway, screaming in rage as tears streamed down her face. She’d had to speak cordially with the man who wanted to abuse her baby, and now he was facing justice.

The experience was painful, but the reward was priceless in every sense of the word. Our agent is sure that the impact went further than she could imagine: “Her courage not only protected her daughter… but by cooperating despite her fear, she may have saved many other children as well. She may never know their names. She may never meet them. But because she chose to act, this suspect was stopped before he could continue harming others.”

You face a similar choice, but the stakes are no less grave. Join us to stop more traffickers from crushing innocent hearts. Your gift can reach farther than you could imagine.

What will you choose?