She looks at the ordinary sights of flowers and can hear people beyond the garden walls, walking and talking in Mexico City. More Videos Human trafficking survivor fights back. The Paris park where trafficked women sell their bodies. Survivor overcomes her sex trafficking past. Artists draw attention to modern slavery.
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Karimova comes full circle.
To many people this may - understandably - seem like a purely academic debate. However, the words we use regarding this terrible issue do things. At a practical level they can assist with the aftercare of a person who has endured human trafficking or modern-day slavery. The trauma associated with an experience such as sex trafficking can be severe enough that having the option to identify as a "survivor" rather than a "victim" can have a profound impact on an individuals future empowerment. Similarly, identifying as a "victim" of circumstances beyond their control can help those who have endured this trauma let go of feelings of guilt and shame, particularly during the earlier stages of aftercare. Choosing to identify with a certain word can help a trafficking victim or survivor reclaim some of the power that was taken away from them by their enslaver. When a high profile human trafficking case featuring a powerful offender enters the news cycle the choice of what words are used to describe a person who has endured this evil becomes even more important. A major reason for this importance is the potential for victims and survivors of this terrible thing to become public figures, whether they want to or not.
Words (Still) Matter: There is (Still) No Such Thing as a "Child Prostitute"
I had so many clients who treated me like an animal, I felt like a piece of meat. Now a specialist police unit which tracks down the traffickers have let the cameras in for the first time for a groundbreaking documentary, which airs tonight on Channel 4. Viner funded a lavish lifestyle in Spain by trafficking women from Brazil to work in a network of brothels. The programme makers had unprecedented access to senior investigating officers and travelled with undercover surveillance cops as they watched Viner's every move and those of his associates Lezlie Davies and Rosana Gomes. The case kicks off with an anonymous envelope, dropped off at a Gloucester police station, which contains accusations that Viner and Davies are running a brothel in the picturesque town of Cheltenham, along with photos, documents and sim cards. CCTV footage revealed Viner flying in and out of the country, including on a day trip to Amsterdam where he returned with a woman of South American origin. Women from abroad had to prove that they are in the UK by being pictured at a cultural landmark or something intrinsically British, with a copy of the day's paper in their hand before they can get a profile on the site. Undercover officers followed Davies to London with two girls who he then photographed next to a red postbox holding a newspaper. The women are also subjected to vile abuse at the hands of their clients, and often the traffickers too. I felt like the clients were disgusting.
When trafficked women finally break free of their abusers, they turn in desperation to the authorities. This is only the start of a new nightmare. Four women describe their slavery, escape and further detention by officials they thought would help them. Since this is such a hidden issue, the actual numbers are assumed to be much higher. On Tuesday, parliament will scrutinise the modern slavery bill for its third reading in the House of Commons.
