A 20-year-old Paraguayan woman was rescued by Brazil’s Federal Police in Marechal Cândido Rondon, Paraná, after being taken to the country with a false job offer and, according to the preliminary investigation, subjected to sexual exploitation.
The case began when the woman’s mother received a plea for help from her daughter, who managed to obtain a cellphone and send her location. The information was passed to Paraguay’s National Police in Alto Paraná, which contacted Brazil’s Federal Police and the Paraguayan Consulate in Foz do Iguaçu. The operation also involved cooperation from the Tripartite Command, a police-coordination mechanism between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina.
Identified by the initials A.S., the woman had reportedly left Ciudad del Este believing she would work in sewing or at a factory in São Paulo state. During the journey, however, the route was reportedly diverted to Marechal Cândido Rondon, about 160 kilometers from Foz do Iguaçu. When she arrived, she discovered that she had been taken to a brothel and refused to provide sexual services.
Accounts released by authorities and the Paraguayan press differ in some details about the period she was held and the route taken. One version says she was held captive for between 24 and 48 hours and suffered physical assaults. The possible transfer of five other Paraguayan women to different establishments is also being investigated, but their whereabouts and conditions have not yet been confirmed.
Deputy Commissioner José Rolón, head of the Police Anti-Trafficking Department in Alto Paraná, took part in coordinating with Brazilian agents. The woman was located and rescued on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, and was later taken to Ciudad del Este, where she reunited with her mother and gave a statement.
The investigation is being handled by prosecutor Vivian Coronel of the Specialized Unit against Human Trafficking and the Sexual Exploitation of Children, Adolescents and Women, which is attached to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The victim received psychological care and protective measures while authorities seek to identify those responsible for the recruitment and locate other possible victims.
The case underscores a pattern under investigation in the border region: false job offers are used to lure women to Brazil, followed by their confinement and sexual exploitation. Information about other possible victims remains under investigation and does not yet confirm that all of them have been found or subjected to the same conditions.