Name: How Cartels Force Kids Into Prostitution, Drug Dealing and Even Killing | Rosi Orozco
Uploaded: 2026-05-22T01:00:00.996Z
Duration: 1 h 11 s
Channel: American Thought Leaders

American Thought Leaders

Rosi Orozco is one of the world’s leading voices against human trafficking. She has been working in human rights advocacy for over three decades, and as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, she was the driving legislative force behind Mexico’s famous anti-trafficking law.

“There are 50 million people in the world in slavery,” Orozco tells me. And that, she believes, is a low estimate.

She was recently involved in helping three rescued girls, who are now at secure shelter in Mexico. “These three girls were minors, and a cartel was training them to kill, to sell drugs, and to [engage in] prostitution.”

What happened to those three minors—only 14, 15, and 17 years old—is fairly typical, she says. They saw an ad on TikTok that promised them “work in the tourism industry, and [promised] very good payment.” When they arrived at the Mexican tourist resort, they were captured.

Over the years, Orozco has helped more than 400 rescued people, mostly minors, slowly begin to rebuild their lives. But, she says, “400 is nothing compared with the people that haven’t been rescued.” The rescue is just the beginning of a long journey: “It’s difficult work because these girls were completely broken ... to see a smile on their face was really a big victory.”

Many people who rescue trafficked children or work in the security shelters where they are protected often risk their own lives. The theme of Orozco's 5th International Summit Against Human Trafficking this year is “Heroes Wanted.”

Orozco also serves as president of the Houston-based "United Against Human Trafficking" nonprofit and created the Trafficking in Persons hotline in Mexico in 2013, giving citizens a direct channel to report trafficking.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Members-onlyHow Cartels Force Kids Into Prostitution, Drug Dealing and Even Killing | Rosi Orozco

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