Young woman safe and beginning new life after being forced into sexual exploitation
Hope for Justice has rescued a woman in her 20s from a hotel where she was being forced into sexual exploitation in the Southern United States.
Rachel* is now in a safe house and is receiving the support and care that she needs to begin recovering from her experiences. The information that she has courageously provided will also assist investigations into her trafficker, who is known to local law enforcement.
Police contacted Hope for Justice for support when they suspected that Rachel had been trafficked. Our team went straight to the hotel and spoke with her, explaining how we could help her.
We provided Rachel with food, clothes and other essentials, and then worked in partnership with a local non-profit to ensure that she could move to a safe house. There, she is currently receiving medical care, as well as support to help her recover from drug addiction.
Richard Schoeberl, US Investigations Team Leader at Hope for Justice, said: “Rachel is likely to have been a victim of human trafficking for years; she had probably been lured by someone and forced into exploitation when she was in her teens.
“We are relieved that she is now safe and can begin to recover. Local law enforcement recognised her descriptions of her trafficker from previous reports from other victims. We now hope that this information will assist in the investigation to bring this individual to justice as soon as possible.”
As well as helping law enforcement with the investigation, we will keep regularly in touch with Rachel to ensure she is recovering well, and has the support that she needs to continue her journey to freedom.
*Name and image have been changed to protect the identity of the survivor
