Documentaries offer a unique and powerful way to learn about current events, historic moments in time, and social issues. With the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video making documentaries more accessible than ever before, these films are being used as tools to raise awareness for difficult topics such as human trafficking. Here we explore the best documentaries about trafficking that have been released in the past few years. From harrowing survivor stories to statistics-filled exposés, these are the documentaries that will make you question your understanding of this global issue.
1. Rescuing Children From The Sex Trade
Rescuing Children From The Sex Trade is a powerful documentary exploring the dark world of child abuse taking place in Filipino sex bars. The documentary follows an Australian Special Forces and former police team as they work together to liberate young sisters from the clutches of traffickers. Viewers are given an insight into the devastating reality of child exploitation, as well as being shown the amazing lengths those working to rescue these children will go. The documentary also investigates foreign men involved in child abuse, casting a light onto a world that many would rather not think about.
2. Nefarious: Merchant of Souls
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls is an eye-opening documentary that shines a light on the horrific and wide-reaching consequences of modern-day slavery. From its powerful first scene, Nefarious takes viewers on a journey to places where people are bought and sold in an international market, as well as the various locations they are forced to work or confined. The documentary covers 19 countries and features gripping testimonies from slavery survivors, as well as in-depth analysis by global leaders in human rights. By giving a voice to those affected while providing an understanding of the scope of this injustice, Nefarious seeks to awaken viewers to take action against trafficking and restore hope for future generations.
3. Secrets Of The Multi-Billion Dollar Human Trafficking Industry – Sex Slaves
Secrets of the multi-billion dollar human trafficking industry have been exposed in Sex Slaves, a powerful documentary exploring the global sex trade in women from the former Soviet Bloc. The film dives deep into this shadowy world and uncovers its staggering financial worth – estimated by some experts to be as high as $30 billion. The documentary examines the harrowing reality of life for these women, who are coerced into a life of exploitation with little hope of escape.
4. Stolen Innocence India’s Untold Story of Human Trafficking
The heartbreaking documentary, Stolen Innocence India’s Untold Story of Human Trafficking, is a harrowing look at the plight of young girls who are stolen from their homes and forced into a life of sex slavery. This eye-opening film sheds light on an issue which has largely been kept hidden from public view for far too long. The filmmakers bring to life the painful and tragic stories of these victims, who often have no one to turn for help. Through its powerful narrative, Stolen Innocence India reveals a world that is both shocking and heartbreaking in equal measure.
5. Exposing an international human trafficking ring hidden in plain sight
Uncovering a sophisticated network of human trafficking hidden in plain sight – an international criminal enterprise that has been growing right under our noses. This is the story 60 MINUTES, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald had to tell when reporter Nick McKenzie received a tip-off about this disturbing reality. After twelve months of investigations, even more shocking details have come to light. It is apparent that Asian women are being taken advantage of through coercion, and subjected to deplorable conditions as sex workers.
6. World’s Toughest Border Patrol: Drug Trafficking & Sexual Predators
This eye-opening documentary delves deep into the world of US border patrol, where drug trafficking and sexual predators are often caught red handed. From their assignment to the frontline, viewers join a team of Border Patrol agents as they embark on a dangerous mission to crack down on criminals and prevent smuggling operations from transiting across borders. The film provides an intimate glimpse into the daily struggles and successes of the law enforcement agency as they attempt to keep America safe. Through interviews with various officers, border patrol agents, and even those caught in the act, this illuminating documentary reveals the harsh realities of drug trafficking and sexual predators who are looking to exploit people for their own selfish gain.
7. The hunt for India’s timber trafficking kingpin
In India, red sandalwood is a precious commodity. A kingpin of the illegal timber trafficking network threatened to bring down the country’s most iconic—and endangered—forest species. In The Hunt for India’s Timber Trafficking Kingpin, a documentary from filmmaker Karthik Subramanian and director Tashi Gyeltshen, we follow the journey of intrepid reporters as they track down the mastermind behind this criminal enterprise. Through interviews and investigations, we explore the human story behind the international trade in red sandalwood and its devastating effects on India’s ecology.
8. Inside the Nepalese Human Trafficking Industry
very day, 50 Nepalese women vanish from the Nepal-India border. Human Trafficking is a global issue that generates billions of dollars in profits annually and South Asia is one of its most devastating hotspots. In this documentary, we take an inside look into the harrowing reality of human trafficking in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. We explore how traffickers prey on vulnerable individuals and the underlying factors that contribute to this dangerous industry. From stories of those who have been affected personally, we gain an insight into the harsh realities of what it is like to live in fear within a system designed to exploit them.
9. The Horrors of Sex Trafficking: The Real Sex Traffic
Sex trafficking is a horrifying and inhumane practice that affects hundreds of thousands of people each year. Victims are coerced into participating, often through the promise of better lives or work opportunities. Once entrapped, they’re forced to submit to the demands of their captors while remaining isolated from family and friends. The stories of those who have escaped this terrible fate are harrowing, giving us invaluable insight into the reality of human trafficking.
