The Colombian authorities rescued 17 children who were in the hands of the ultra-orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor in the northwestern part of the country, including some from other states, the immigration service announced yesterday (Sunday).

The Lev Tahor (“pure heart” in Hebrew) has recently faced persecution for child abuse and maltreatment in countries such as Guatemala. Colombian authorities have received warnings about their presence in the country.

“We rescued 17 children and adolescents from the Jewish Orthodox Jewish sect of Lev Tahor (…) There were international alerts of crimes against minors that were related to this community,” the immigration service noted via X, with photos of some of the children.

According to police, the children are of various nationalities (particularly Guatemalan, US and Canadian).

“Some evidence suggests that some had been abducted,” which means it is likely to be a case of “human trafficking under the guise of religious doctrine,” according to the same source.

Some sect followers are subject to an Interpol red notice – an international alert from a police agency that calls for police around the world to arrest the individuals involved.

According to Colombian authorities, members of the sect were in the territory “in search of a country where they would not face restrictions on continuing their alleged illegal activities.”

The sect, founded in the 1980s, practices a radical version of Judaism, which stipulates in particular that women must be covered in black robes from head to toe, just like Islamists do.

In December 2024, authorities in Guatemala said they rescued 160 children during an operation in the south because of suspected human trafficking, “rape”, “forced pregnancies” and “child abuse”.