I had a normal upbringing in Albania - my mother a nurse, my father an army officer. When my parents died, I was 17, my brother younger. I was studying accountancy. My uncles were appointed guardians. I had to sign over our home to them. At 20, I was forced into an arranged marriage. It was a disaster. So I used to meet friends on the beach. One man, Edon, took an interest in me. He suggested we eloped to Italy. We did but I grew uneasy. Plans kept changing. I was given a false Italian ID card. I travelled alone through France to the UK. When I arrived, a couple met and took me to their house. Edon and other men were there. They ridiculed and humiliated me. I was then gang raped while all present looked on and laughed. Edon told me that I was now his slave. I was held captive for nearly a year. I had to service up to ten men a day. During the summer, one man spent the night with me. He got drunk. I escaped through an open window. I ran and ran. I was found and placed in a safe house. I have no idea if my captors were caught or what happened to Edon. I’m unsure as to my future. I can’t return to Albania.
As told to the Human Trafficking Foundation
