Stories

Albertina Luciano, a 23 year old young woman, and Samira Daniel, 25 years old, both from the province of Zambézia, specifically from Morrumbala, lived in a rural community where opportunities were extremely limited, and living conditions were precarious.
Albertina and Samira (PVs), who shared the struggles of poverty, decided to join forces to find a way to improve their situation and support their families. Albertina comes from a humble family with six siblings and an elderly grandfather who is unable to meet basic needs.
In their search for work, they met a young man named Abdul (ST), who acted as a recruiter, offering them jobs as domestic workers in Maputo, with a monthly salary of 10,000 meticais per person. This amount is more than double the usual wage for this type of work, which ranges between 4,000 to 6,000 meticais.
Albertina, eager for a better life, convinced her friend Samira to accept the offer without considering the risks involved. The PVs lacked identification documents and had difficulty speaking Portuguese. They also couldn’t provide details about where exactly they would work, only that they would be in Maputo and that the details would be sorted upon arrival.
These vague promises, combined with the lack of documentation and an unrealistic salary, were clear signs of human trafficking.
On the day of departure, the ST sent Albertina some money, but the PVs already had a small amount saved. Abdul provided vague instructions on how to reach Maputo.
Before the PVs could be taken away, the intervention team managed to intercept them at Junta while they waited for someone to pick them up. When the team contacted the ST via phone to inquire about the job, he refused to provide details and became uncooperative.

The first step was to provide emotional support to the PVs, explaining the risks of human trafficking and how they were about to fall into a dangerous trap.
The team also sensitized them about modern slavery, explaining how traffickers use false promises to lure victims into inhumane conditions with no hope of escape.
We offered the necessary support to help the PVs return safely to their home village. Since they had some money saved but not enough to cover the full transportation costs, the team negotiated with the transport service to allow them to travel with the little they had.
We accompanied them to the transport point, ensuring their safety until they boarded the bus heading home.