****Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Millions of men, women and children are sold every year, smuggled across borders and within their home country, then forced into labour such as prostitution. It’s the fastest-growing international crime and, according to charity Stop The Traffik, people trafficking is the second largest source of illegal income worldwide – exceeded only by drug trafficking.
Unfortunately, Sophie Hayes has first-hand experience of this horrific crime and Trafficked is her story. Battling with her cruel father and with a deep distrust of men, Sophie meets Kas in a bar. Over four years he gains her confidence and convinces her to visit him in Italy. But as soon as she arrives, her life descends into a living hell.
With her passport taken and no way to escape, Sophie is forced to work through the night every night as a prostitute in the Italian countryside – often in freezing conditions and always in danger of losing her life to the violent men who pick her up.
Brainwashed, beaten into submission and terrified to run away for fear her family may be harmed, Sophie has no way out – until fate intervenes and she makes a brave attempt to save herself. But distressingly, the end is not the end for Sophie. The most alarming thing about Sophie’s story is the speed and ease of which a girl living in a developed nation with close friends and family can be swept into such a situation, never mind more vulnerable people in poorer countries.
Trafficked: My Story isn’t nice to read. In fact, it’s harrowing. Sophie tells of her time under the control of Kas with frank honesty –she doesn’t gloss over what she went through. Sophie’s story isn’t hers alone – she is the voice of women around the world, and reports say this includes New Zealand. It’s an important story that needs to be shared.
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