From Trusting to Trafficked: How Ordinary People Become Trapped in Exploitation
Sex TraffickingTo give you a more tangible idea of how easily trafficking and exploitation can happen, we want to take you through situations that many people IJM has supported have actually experienced. We invite you to read on, putting yourself in the shoes of the men, women and children experiencing these crimes. Perhaps this will give you a slightly different perspective on these unimaginable situations.
Content warning: This blog shares stories of abuse and exploitation that may be distressing or triggering for some readers. Please read with caution and seek appropriate support.
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You’ve been out of work for months.
Your family is relying on you. Every day, you send out job applications, hoping for something—anything.
One day, you get a reply. A foreign company is hiring. It matches your qualifications perfectly. They offer high pay, free travel, and even lodging. It's everything you've been hoping for. After a long interview process you get the job. You’re full of hope for the better life you will build for your family.
When you arrive, they’re there to meet you. Your passport and personal documents are taken “for processing.” You're told this is standard.
But things quickly changed.
You are locked in a compound with thousands of people. You are told you now owe them for your travel expenses, which will be deducted from your paycheck. Your workdays are 14 hours. You sleep on the floor with other workers. You wish you could escape or report what is happening to the police, but you are monitored 24-7. The recruiter carries weapons with them and makes daily threats.
The last time someone tried to escape, they were thrown into the middle of the room and beaten in front of the rest of the team.
You feel helpless, hopeless, and completely betrayed.
It was love at first click.
The profile, the way he talked to you, the promises he made. You fell in love and thought he genuinely loved you back. This was nothing like past relationships that left you burned and hurt. He didn’t even mind that you were in a tough spot financially, he was focused on building a future with you—together.
You’d have to move to his country to make the relationship work, but you didn’t mind. There wasn’t anything for you at home anymore, nothing compared to the life full of love and happiness you would have together. Besides, he even had connections to help set you up for a new job!
Once you landed, things quickly changed.
He started asking for sexual favours, things you didn’t think you would ever do, but he promised no one would ever know. And it was just to make some money to help pay for your dreams together. So, you did it.
But then he asked for more. You were forced to meet with and have sex with other people. Was this the job he had set up for you?
It started getting dangerous. You wanted out, but then the blackmail started. Physical and verbal abuse escalated. He continued to threaten what would happen if you tried to escape. Even if you did escape, you don’t have any money.
No longer in love, you live in constant fear. You comply again and again with the demands because you can’t bear the thought of your family and friends knowing what really happened. You are also under constant watch now; you don’t have your own phone anymore. There is no way to escape or report.
You feel cheated, humiliated and terrified of whoever is going to walk through that door next.
This is an example of cross-border sex trafficking.
You are 11 years old and often left alone.
You had a happy childhood, spending lots of time with family and friends. But as the family grew, finances got tight, and you were often left alone while your parents worked late.
Your relative who lived nearby invited you to come over, promising to give you food and care for you. You were glad not to have to stay at home alone anymore—it felt like you finally had a safe space.
But things quickly changed.
At first, it was just a photo. You were told to go naked while they took pictures of you. You were so scared, nervous, and confused. You didn’t know what to do. But this was your relative, so you just obeyed.
Now, your relatives use their phone and laptop camera to livestream your abuse to foreign customers. These people pay to watch you and even make specific requests. Your relative reads out the messages and forces you to take actions that hurt or feel humiliating.
When you ask to stop, your relative threatens you to keep silent. You feel utterly alone, ashamed, and afraid.
You notice that there are more gifts and expensive things in the house, and your relative keeps going to banks that deposit money from all over the world. United States, Australia, England, Canada… Those people on the other side of the screen all live very far away, but the pain and humiliation you are feeling is very real.
This is an example of the online sexual exploitation of children.
These are real situations taking place every day, everywhere—and could happen to anyone.
- 50 million people around the world are in situations of modern slavery—more than the total combined population of the 50 biggest states in the US.
- Women and girls continue to account for the majority of trafficking victims detected worldwide (61% in 2022), with the 60% of girl victims trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation (UNODC).
- In the Philippines, 1 in 100 children are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse. 52% of the payments flagged for suspicious transactions related to online child sexual abuse in the Philippines came from the US (Data from second half of 2020 to end of 2022 in a study from the Anti-Money Laundering Council of the Philippines).
These statistics can be shocking, as every one of us comes into contact with injustice and violence. But this also means that each one of us can also be a part of the solution. Join IJM and a movement of advocates across the country standing up for justice and protection.
Make a difference
Contact your legislators today!
Awareness is the first step. Meaningful action is the next. Ask Congress to reauthorize the international provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act today to make a tangible impact in the fight to end human trafficking
*Stock images. Subjects depicted are not survivors of trafficking, and images are used with consent.