TRAFFICKED

Sophie Hayes

Trafficked

UK & Commonwealth rights: HarperCollins

UK publication: January 2012

Dutch rights: De Boekerij

Serbian rights: Laguna

All other rights available

‘This is what you’re here for.’ He spoke slowly, as if explaining something to a slow-witted child. ‘You are here to help me to repay this debt. I will find you a place to work – on the streets. It’s a sacrifice anyone would be happy to make for someone they loved.’

Sophie Hayes, who is British and privately educated, had been seeing her apparently charming  boyfriend for a couple of years before he moved to Italy with his work as a web designer (or so he told her).  After a childhood spent having to deal with a difficult and sometimes violent father, the presence of a caring man in her life seemed to be exactly what she needed and when he moved, she missed him dreadfully.

She booked tickets to visit, spending an idyllic weekend with him and meeting some of his friends to whom he proudly showed her off.  However, on the Monday, as she was planning to return to work in the UK, everything changed.  He made it clear that she wasn't going anywhere.  Thus began six months of working the streets in a country where Sophie didn't speak the language and nobody knew her whereabouts.  She was in effect a slave.

People trafficking is the fastest growing crime globally and a crime which frequently goes undetected all over the world, including in Western Europe, right under the public nose.  Due to lack of awareness, there are many assumptions made about the type of people who are trafficked and the places in which it takes place and counsellors and other professionals are often ill equipped to deal with its effects.  

Following her six month experience and its consequences, Sophie is now rebuilding her life in London and working with the charity STOP THE TRAFFIK to raise awareness of the crime as well as the William Wilberforce Trust to help other women like herself who are recovering from the effects of being trafficked.  Her work to date has seen her work with Cherie Blair, the Metropolitan Police and the UN. She hopes that her book and associated publicity will help to spread awareness of the cause and give a message of hope.