Victim says she now ‘lives every day in fear’

A woman who was trafficked to Northern Ireland from eastern Europe and forced into sex work has said she now suffers from flashbacks, panic attacks and now lives every day in fear.

Anna, not her real name, told BBC News NI that she was made to leave her home and come to Northern Ireland after a man threatened her family.

“I tried to run, I tried to escape but he [her abuser] said I must come to Northern Ireland or he would kill my children,” Anna said.

“I bought the ticket straight away and came to Northern Ireland – I was a slave and human trafficked for two years.”

Anna is speaking out after a charity that supports survivors of human trafficking said it has seen a “massive increase in the number of referrals for support”.

“I didn’t see my children for two years,” Anna said.

“It was so hard and I did everything he asked of me as I was so frightened he would kill my children and my mother.”

Anna said that she was forced to work as a sex worker for two years.

“I was working with a lot of men and all the money I made I gave to him,” she said.

“All so I could save my family.”

Anna was eventually rescued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) after two years of abuse.

“One day he hit me too much and I screamed so loud that the neighbours called the police and I was protected by the police,” she said.

“After being human trafficked you suffer from panic attacks and severe trauma.

“You will never be the same. Never. You just have to learn to live with it but you will never have a normal life like you did before.

“I am still scared for my children and it kills me every day.”

Flourish NI said that in the first 10 months of 2024 they experienced a 128% rise in referrals in comparison to the same period the previous year.

Flourish chief executive, Jill Robinson that said within a 10-month period in 2023 they had 60 referrals, but for the same period in 2024 they have seen 137 referrals.

“The steep increase which we have seen this year only underlines how vital this work is to the increasing number of people in our communities who have experienced some form of human trafficking,” Ms Robinson said.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said human trafficking is “happening around us and often goes unnoticed or is ignored or is hidden in plain sight”.

“This issue requires a societal wide effort if we are to successfully tackle this heinous crime,” Long said.

“We owe it to the victims to put an end to this brutal exploitation and trade in human beings.”

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this piece, details of help and support is available on BBC Action Line.