In the Spotlight|October 23, 2014 09:58 EDT
The Walking Dead's Laurie Holden Goes Undercover to Help Free 55 Sex Slaves in Colombia [VIDEO]
The Walking Dead's Laurie Holden (Andrea) was part of a sting that took down sex traffickers in Colombia.
According to CBC, Holden's undercover mission, which was headed by Operation Underground Railroad, helped free 55 enslaved people. Some of these girls were as young as 12.
"I had a pretty good disguise "” I had a wig and glasses," said Holden to CBC, "We pretended we were having a big bachelor party, so my role was the girlfriend of one of the rich Americans, so I kind of had to sell them and the traffickers on the idea that I was a party girl, that I was there to have a good time with the guys."
While she did this, her roll was to also distract and befriend the girls long enough for the police to come in and make the arrests.
"When you've been sexually abused, no matter how wonderful they are, there is a fear of a man," said Holden, "I think having myself and this other lovely woman, Krista, who is a cross-fit trainer, we were like the motherly figures who were able to comfort them."
The entire operation was caught on cameras for ABC's Nightline and the organization was founded by Tim Ballard, a former CIA agent.
"We live in a cynical world and there's so much emphasis on money and success," said Holden to CBC, "All that fame is great but, you know, why are we here?"
Holden has done prior work in Vietnam and Cambodia, and plans to continue doing so according to her interview.
"We have to protect those who can't protect themselves and it's not about writing a cheque. That's great, but I've seen [child sex trafficking] firsthand and I can't get it out of my head, I'm just going to keep going until the day I die."
Watch the operation go down on ABC here and here.
The sex slave industry has been pushed into the forefront more than ever before. Many different efforts and organizations have been started in an effort to thwart it.
Most prominently is Natalie Grant and David Trotter's documentary film, 'In Plain Sight', which worked with Abolition International. Read our interview with the movie's director here.
