Between 2017 and 2025, 238 Brazilians were rescued in police operations after being victims of trafficking in persons.
In the first year of the historical series, there were 14 people rescued. Already in 2025, without the year ending, 46 cases have been recorded.
This year, Federal Police data show that 22 inquiries were from people trafficked for sexual exploitation; 17 For forced work under conditions analogous to slavery; 6 to any kind of servitude; and 1 for illegal adoption.
An open inquiry may investigate cases of more than one victim person or group. Thus, the number of people taken out of Brazil can be much higher than you think, investigators explain.
In 2025, until the closing of these data, there was no record of trafficking to remove organ, tissue or body parts, but in previous years there was this practice, as in 2022, with 2 inquiries of this nature, 5 in 2021 and another 2 in 2019.
Throughout the investigation period, the survey shows that there were 171 trafficking records for sexual exploitation and 88 for illegal adoption, which is when a baby, a child or adolescent is sold.
The PF details that only 149 police inquiries were established, with the outbreak of 32 operations. Since the criminal typification of this crime, 662 investigations have been established by the Federal Police.
“Human trafficking is a silent crime, but with devastating effects. Delegates are on the front line in this combat, but it is necessary that the whole society is mobilized,” says PF delegate Luciano Leiro, president of ADPF (National Association of Federal Police Delegates.
Asia as a focus
According to members of the Federal Police, previously as the main gateway to human trafficking, Europe has lost space to Asia.
In June, the PF rescued a Brazilian, born in Pernambuco, a victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation in Myanmar, Southeast Asia.
Investigations point out that the criminal group that trafficked it, mostly composed of Chinese citizens legally established in Brazil, enlisted young people with false employment promises in the state of Karen, where he has been erected in recent years commercial projects such as hotels and casinos.
In February, the CNN It showed that two Brazilians kept in private jail in the same region were also rescued after almost three months.
Luckas Viana dos Santos and Phelipe Ferreira suffered torture and forced labor by the cyber scams in the country after losing contact with family members. During the jail period, they reported that they were forced to apply blows to other Brazilians, otherwise they were punished that even included electrochhock.
Although Asia is the new attraction center with more people trafficking records, Europe continues with records. In July, the PF carried out an operation to investigate an international women’s trafficking scheme for sexual exploitation purposes in Europe.
Investigations began in May and indicate that a group enlisted Brazilian women, especially with models profile, through social networks and messaging applications.
The victims were attracted to promises of high gains, passages and lodging, but when they arrived abroad, they were subjected to degrading conditions, exhaustive journeys, threats, document retention, financial exploitation and physical and psychological violence.
The PF stresses that these actions prioritize the protection of victims, arrest of criminal leaders, decapitalization of groups and investigation of related crimes such as money laundering.
And emphasizes the communication channels, for online reporting of complaints. Last year, the channel received 19 communications of possible cases of trafficking in people who helped in investigations.
Rescues per year
- 2017: 14
- 2018: 22
- 2019: 30
- 2020: 13
- 2021: 29
- 2022: 45
- 2023: 19
- 2024: 34
- 2025: 46
Source: Federal Police
