“I felt I’d no choice; you feel powerless”: Human Trafficking Survivors Share Challenging Experiences Under Traffickers

Bright believed the woman and made the journey to Ghana, where instead, she was forced into prostitution. She soon realized she was trapped and could not escape before paying what was termed a debt of over 3 million Naira (US$.1,780), her trafficker attributing it to travel and the related expenses.

“I couldn’t run because we were surrounded by bush and isolated from people who could help. I felt I had no choice,” Bright explained her predicament in the hands of her trafficker in rural Northern Ghana, near the border with Nigeria.

Forced prostitution resulted in pregnancy, a condition that sparked more brutality from the woman, who had trafficked her from her native country of Nigeria, Bright recalled, adding, “She began to beat me and treated me even worse, refusing to let me go.”

Despite her isolation and fears, Bright planned an escape courtesy of a male native of the Ghanaian rural area. She realized the at midnight, ending up in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, where she found a new home with the Missionaries of Charity.

“They gave me the strength to get through, and helped me reach the immigration services,” Bright recalled during the October 30 webinar.  

Recalling her past experiences, Bright urged young girls to “be cautious. Always tell someone where you’re going and who you’re with. Human trafficking can happen in any country, even to those you trust.”

Harold D’Souza’s sharing during the October 30 webinar revealed the dangers of human trafficking for labor, which he said is often overlooked in developed countries of the West.

A native of India, Harold had always dreamed of moving to America. In 2003, his dream seemed within reach when he was offered a job with a generous salary in the U.S.

“In India, moving to America is like moving to heaven. It was a dream come true,” he said.  

Harold went on to recall how he arrived in the U.S. alongside his wife and two young sons, eager to begin and build a “better life in heaven”.

The reality was different, he shared, recalling how his alleged employers confiscated their documents, manipulated them into taking the responsibility to be “a debt”, forcing Harold and his family into exploitative labor at a restaurant.

“We were made to work seven days a week, 365 days a year with no salary,” Harold recalled, describing how the traffickers tightly controlled every aspect of their lives, from confiscating their cash to housing them close to their workplace, to be sure that they cannot escape.

He continued, “Labor trafficking happens in places like restaurants, gas stations, motels—it’s hidden in plain sight, yet so easy for traffickers to control.”

Despite his challenging situation, Harold was unable to speak up for nearly a decade.

In an incident, he recalls his young son being innocently slapped by the trafficker. “My son didn’t even do anything wrong but seeing him hurt—knowing I couldn’t protect him—was shattering. As a parent, you want to shield your child, but in those moments, you feel powerless.”

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Harold’s situation would eventually get the attention of FBI, who, aided by the trafficker’s handwritten debt note as incriminating evidence, helped Harold secure his family’s freedom.

Today, Harold serves as a human trafficking advocate and member of the U.S Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.

In his sharing during the October 30 webinar, Harold urged participants to understand the indicators of human trafficking and to know their human rights.

“Trauma doesn’t have an expiration date. It follows you. But knowing your rights, understanding that no one should live in bondage, can be the first step towards freedom,” he said.

Harold went on to advocate for awareness of human rights, saying, “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone is born free and equal. It prohibits slavery and torture. If people understood these rights, traffickers would have less control.”

He also counseled victims of human trafficking to reach out to relevant local organizations, including the National Human Trafficking Hotline in the U.S., and “to remember that help is available.”