Trafficking victim now 'lives every day in fear'

1 month ago 14

Getty Images A pistillate   sat successful  beforehand   of a model   and successful  shadow, with her manus  connected  her forehead. Getty Images

Anna, not her existent name, was brought to Northern Ireland and forced into enactment work

A pistillate who was trafficked to Northern Ireland from eastbound Europe and forced into enactment enactment has said she present suffers from flashbacks, panic attacks and present lives each time successful fear.

Anna, not her existent name, told BBC News NI that she was made to permission her location and travel to Northern Ireland aft a antheral threatened her family.

“I tried to run, I tried to flight but helium [her abuser] said I indispensable travel to Northern Ireland oregon helium would termination my children," Anna said.

"I bought the summons consecutive distant and came to Northern Ireland - I was a enslaved and quality trafficked for 2 years."

Anna is speaking retired aft a foundation that supports survivors of quality trafficking said it has seen a “massive summation successful the fig of referrals for support”.

'You volition ne'er beryllium the same'

“I didn’t spot my children for 2 years," Anna said.

"It was truthful hard and I did everything helium asked of maine arsenic I was truthful frightened helium would termination my children and my mother.”

Anna said that she was forced to enactment arsenic a enactment idiosyncratic for 2 years.

“I was moving with a batch of men and each the wealth I made I gave to him," she said.

"All truthful I could prevention my family.”

Anna was yet rescued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) aft 2 years of abuse.

“One time helium deed maine excessively overmuch and I screamed truthful large that the neighbours called the constabulary and I was protected by the police," she said.

“After being quality trafficked you endure from panic attacks and terrible trauma.

"You volition ne'er beryllium the same. Never. You conscionable person to larn to unrecorded with it but you volition ne'er person a mean beingness similar you did before.

"I americium inactive frightened for my children and it kills maine each day.”

Jill Robinson, who has blonde abbreviated  hairsbreadth  and is dressed successful  black, pictured successful  beforehand   of a histrion   and 2  bushes.

Flourish NI's Jill Robinson says determination has been a "steep increase" successful referrals of radical who person experienced immoderate signifier of quality trafficking

Flourish NI said that successful the archetypal 10 months of 2024 they experienced a 128% emergence successful referrals successful examination to the aforesaid play the erstwhile year.

Flourish main executive, Jill Robinson that said wrong a 10-month play successful 2023 they had 60 referrals, but for the aforesaid play successful 2024 they person seen 137 referrals.

"The steep summation which we person seen this twelvemonth lone underlines however captious this enactment is to the expanding fig of radical successful our communities who person experienced immoderate signifier of quality trafficking,” Ms Robinson said.

PA Naomi Long pictured beside a microphone. She has a navy apical  and the inheritance  is blurred.PA

Justice Minister Naomi Long says tackling quality trafficking "requires a societal wide effort"

Justice Minister Naomi Long said quality trafficking is "happening astir america and often goes unnoticed oregon is ignored oregon is hidden successful plain sight".

"This contented requires a societal wide effort if we are to successfully tackle this heinous crime," Long said.

"We beryllium it to the victims to enactment an extremity to this brutal exploitation and commercialized successful quality beings."

If you've been affected by immoderate of the issues raised successful this piece, details of assistance and enactment is available connected BBC Action Line.

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