"This place has answered the prayer I’ve been making for so long."
That’s what Victoria*, a survivor of human trafficking in South America, said about the support she’s received from an Atlas Free Network Member. It wasn’t long ago that this hope seemed impossible.
Just months ago, Victoria was crying on her knees, praying for her pain to end. She wanted to be back in school, finishing her psychology degree. But she had given up that dream after being forced to take on family debts that weren’t hers.
Now, she was trapped in the only place where she could make enough money to do so: a brothel.
Despite Victoria’s prayers, her pain didn’t end that night. She stayed until her relatives’ debts were paid.
Although Victoria was finally able to leave the brothel behind, the memories of her time there weren’t so easily shaken. Healing from trafficking doesn’t happen overnight: trauma lingers in the form of anxiety, shame, isolation, and fear. Survivors carry the weight of what they have endured long after the exploitation itself has ended. Victoria was finally free from the abuse, but inside, she was struggling to survive.
Without a family whom she could lean on, Victoria decided to seek another form of help. That’s when she discovered an Atlas Free Network Member.
Through the Network Member, Victoria finally found the support she needed. She met other women who had lived through the same hardships and still managed to rebuild their lives. "I realized there were others like me,” she said. “People who have survived sexual exploitation and found the strength to move forward. Now, I know there is hope."
From the staff, she received the support and encouragement she had been so sorely lacking in her own home, learning new tools to cope with her trauma.
As Victoria healed from her past, she began to look to her future. With the help and encouragement of the Network Member, she started her own business.
Today, Victoria is building the life she used to dream of, a life that will protect her from sexual exploitation. She credits her progress to the community she found at the Network Member, adding, “It’s been the hug I needed but never dared to ask for.”
Stories like Victoria’s are not rare. Right now, a shocking 6.3 million people are still trapped in sexual exploitation, and most of them are women. Like Victoria, many of these women are coerced into modern slavery by their own families, often due to financial pressure.
But this is a story that doesn’t have to keep repeating—not if we choose to break the cycle.
You can help women like Victoria escape and heal from sex trafficking when you become a monthly supporter of Atlas Free. Why not start today?
*Name changed to protect the identity of the survivor.
