A female survivor who was forced into sexual exploitation is now free from her perpetrators and safe in a long-term aftercare program.
Amelia* believed she was in a secure, committed relationship with her male trafficker. They had been dating for several months when the pimp began posting adverts of her online.
The survivor, who is middle-aged, was controlled with drugs and trafficked for sex in Iowa. The trafficker sold Amelia to male clients and pocketed the money, profiting from her abuse.
One of our Investigators, Devon Greiter, said: “Traffickers often start as a person who seems reliable or trustworthy before showing their intentions. When I first meet with a survivor, it is not uncommon for them to be wary of trusting anyone but themselves; it actually makes perfect sense. I am incredibly grateful to our partner organizations who consistently put their trust in us to establish safe and trusting relationships with survivors. It is an honor to be the person that a survivor feels comfortable opening up to and/or learning to trust for the first time since their victimization.”
There are an estimated 6.3 million people trapped in forced commercial sexual exploitation around the globe.
Our teams are working to identify victims of modern slavery, support survivors, and prevent exploitation from happening in the first place.
Amelia managed to escape from her trafficker, but she later relapsed and began reusing illegal substances, and was arrested. Law enforcement suspected she was a victim of human trafficking and they contacted Hope for Justice’s team of investigators in Iowa for our assistance.
Our investigators are trained to work alongside survivors in a trauma-informed way.
Richard Schoeberl, Hope for Justice’s U.S. Team Leader for Investigations & Training, said: “Survivors often find it difficult to trust those in authority because their traffickers instil fear by telling them that law enforcement are corrupt, or will punish them. We were able to work alongside this survivor and build trust with her, so she felt comfortable to disclose what had happened. We also supported her to report the exploitation to law enforcement so they could move forward with an investigation. We contacted one of our partners at an aftercare facility and worked with them to ensure that the survivor could safely move into their care.”
Amelia is now in a long-term aftercare program and is doing well in her recovery. Law enforcement are continuing to investigate this case.
*Name and image changed to protect identity of the survivor
