AI tool helps bring seven people to safety
Summary:
March 2026
A devastating workplace injury to a 16-year-old boy sparked a successful operation to bring seven people to safety from a dangerous tire rim factory in South Asia – after one of the labourers bravely sought help using an AI tool.
An IJM staff member shared, “The Labor Department pursued [this case] until the due process was completed. [The boy] lost three fingers, but not his dignity. Exploitation is a crime, no matter how powerful the exploiter.”
The trafficker had lured the labourers to the factory with false promises of good wages and generous advances. However, once they arrived, they were forced to work 12-15 hour days making tire rims and paid too little to ever pay off their false debts.
Life inside the factory was brutal. Their phones were confiscated. They slept on the floor in a room attached to the worksite and were never allowed to leave the premises. Several reported being assaulted and threatened.
The situation reached a breaking point when the 16-year-old boy’s hand was caught in heavy machinery, severing three fingers. Instead of stopping work or seeking urgent help, the factory owners reportedly shouted at the others to keep working as the boy lay unconscious on the ground.
A short time later, when their supervisor mentioned needing additional workers, one labourer seized a rare moment to ask for access to his confiscated phone. Pretending to help recruit new workers, he secretly recorded a message to an AI platform describing their situation. The platform advised him to report the case to the district government, police, or IJM’s local partner – and he managed to make contact.
A team comprising IJM, officials from the Labor Department, district administration, police, and partner organisations immediately launched an investigation. Authorities brought all seven labourers to safety and filed charges against the factory owners.
Following the operation, IJM’s partner coordinated safe temporary shelter for the group and arranged transport back to their home states. Each survivor received a release certificate – a document that formally recognises they were trafficked for labour and entitles them to long-term support and protection.
While two suspects have since been arrested, a third remains at large. Police are actively working to locate him.
IJM will continue to support each survivor’s long-term rehabilitation, with particular care for the 16-year-old boy as he heals from his injury.
This case shows how courageous action – paired with strong collaboration between authorities and local partners – can bring people to safety from exploitation.
Learn more about what IJM is doing alongside police and partners to combat forced labour.