A woman in her 20s is beginning to recover after she was isolated, held captive and sexually exploited by her partner in the North-Western United States.
Coral* had been in a relationship with a man for several months, before he began to physically, verbally and sexually abuse her. She became terrified of him. He moved her to an isolated rural location, away from her family and friends, and then forced her into prostitution for his own financial gain.
After around a year, the man beat Coral badly. Local law enforcement arrested him, and held him for assault, but Coral was too afraid of the man to report that she was a victim of human trafficking. Afterwards, Coral bravely called a friend, who contacted us after finding us online.
Greg Hall, US Investigator Trainer at Hope for Justice, said: “This man was completely in control of Coral, to the point that her friend thought Coral wouldn’t cooperate if we began a trafficking investigation.
“We were able to reassure Coral, through her friend, that she would be protected and supported. We explained that if she worked with us and law enforcement, we could bring this individual to justice.”
We shared the information with law enforcement, who were then able to rescue Coral. We also contacted a local human trafficking taskforce, to ensure that Coral would receive all the support she needed to begin to recover. Coral is now in a safe location, and receiving medical care and counseling.
Coral is also working closely with law enforcement, to hold the man to account for the trafficking ordeal that she endured.
*Name and image have been changed to protect the identity of the survivor
