I was trafficked and sold – here’s why the Rwanda plan is wrong
The government’s scheme to forcibly remove survivors of human trafficking to another country will make them feel like they’re being targeted all over again, writes Jane Lasonder – trust me, I should know
As a victim of child sexual exploitation – a form of modern slavery – I know the terror and fear that can be felt, the helplessness and despair. You are controlled completely by your trafficker and have no free will. I felt invisible in plain sight, and no one spoke up for me.
It took me a very long time to recover and I required a lot of support from the people I met and the community I managed to build in my life. My recovery was helped by the fact that I am British and therefore didn’t need to fear being removed from this country and having to start from scratch in a strange place where I didn’t want to be.
Arriving in the UK via an irregular route, for example on a small boat – as many potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking are forced to do – doesn’t change those feelings one bit. In fact, I imagine that would make them worse. On arrival after such a traumatic and perilous journey, exhausted and terrified, many people go on to be exploited for labour, sex, or criminal activities.
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