Local human trafficking survivor speaks out

It’s a question many of us think we know the answer to: What is human trafficking?

But a Collier County woman told WINK her definition changed after she survived it.

“What I was brought up thinking is trafficking is not trafficking,” said the woman, who asked to be called JW, during an interview with WINK News. “People think that this is something that happens in a foreign country, or it happens over in Miami, that it doesn’t happen in Collier County, and it is definitely a problem in Collier County and Lee County for that matter.”

At 19, “JW” was human-trafficked for the first time.

“In the midst of it, you get deeper and deeper, and you get more isolated, and before you know it, your trafficker becomes your whole world, and nothing is to benefit you,” explained JW. “Nothing is for personal gain.”

She told WINK her trafficker eventually tried to kill her, and that’s when the truth became clear.

“I actually had been manipulated and brainwashed into thinking that I was stuck like that,” said JW.

She sought the help she’d been told for years didn’t exist.

“I was able to call the human trafficking hotline, and some nice lady answered the phone and made me feel very, very comfortable,” said JW, “and was able to get me to safety.”

It was the first step in a long road to recovery.

“The only thing that you have to change is every single thing, but it’s worth it,” explained JW. “And I’m glad that I’m not nothing like the person that I used to be.”

That’s because the new JW knows what human trafficking truly is.

“It’s anytime somebody coerces, bribes, benefits off of selling your body,” said JW. “Looking back on it makes my stomach sink, because that’s just not even close to the person that I am today, to let somebody take advantage of me like that.”

JW certainly won’t let anybody else be taken advantage of either: “My end goal is, obviously, to stay clean, to be able to go to school, to be able to be a voice and make some noise in the world about what human trafficking truly is.”

Human trafficking is largely undetected

The truth is that human trafficking is a major problem that largely goes undetected.

“It can be the person at a restaurant. It can be, you know, the person next to you in a hotel,” said JW. “It can be somebody next to you in the next-door house that you know something’s wrong, but you’re not really sure what it is. And usually, if it feels wrong, it is wrong.”

More than 27 million people worldwide are victims, yet the latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Justice show only 1,118 people were convicted of it in 2022 nationwide, a number that doubled over a decade from 578 in 2012.

“The women are the ones that usually end up getting arrested, not the traffickers,” explained Lillian Cuevas, human trafficking specialist at the Shelter for Abused Women & Children. “The traffickers are usually sending the women to do things that put them in a position where they don’t get arrested. So I’m not surprised about the ones that it’s their first conviction, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been operating for a long time without getting caught.”

In addition to that, many human trafficking survivors may feel a sense of loyalty or fear towards their trafficker.

“There’s a lot of confusion around loyalty, and, you know, feeling like you’re being disloyal in some way in terms of pursuing any kind of legal action against someone,” explained Cuevas.

That is why mental health is such an important part of recovery.

“You’ll see people kind of change their opinions about what they believe happened to them versus what actually happened to them,” said Cuevas. “So if you don’t have women that are getting as much help as they should be getting, I could totally see why the numbers seem lower, and they should be higher.”

“I think there’s a lot of resources for the people that actually can leave (human trafficking), but there’s not enough awareness,” said JW.

The long road to recovery

As the human trafficking specialist at the Shelter for Abused Women & Children, Cuevas helps survivors understand what really happened to them.

She helps women regain their sense of self, loyalty and normalcy.

“They are exceptional women, and they have a lot of talents and a lot of skills,” said Cuevas. “Once they make it past the first 30 to 60 days, you almost see a transformation. Someone who comes in here and maybe isn’t so concerned about their upkeep or their personal appearance or anything like that… they start coming to meetings in the morning with some makeup on. They care more about their presentation.”

Cuevas gave WINK News some insight into what the human trafficking program is like at the Shelter, one that has garnered national attention.

“I’ve gotten calls from Hawaii, Colorado, Georgia, Texas, quite a few states,” said Cuevas. “And one of the main reasons I think they look to us is because it is an 18-month program, and it is for women that are 18 and above. It is kind of difficult to find a bed or a room for someone that fits that category.”

The recovery process starts when a survivor gives the the Shelter or the human trafficking hotline a call for help. After that the Shelter assesses the survivor’s history and their needs.

“We can’t take anyone at this point that is actively using,” explained Cuevas. “So them being definitely at a point where they’re not using drugs, actively, is a big requirement.”

Once screened and accepted, the human trafficking survivor goes through an 18-month program with four different phases.

“The first phase is four months,” said Cuevas. “The first 30 days, you go through a blackout phase where you have no electronics, you have no contact with anyone, pretty much you can’t leave the property. It’s a pretty controlled environment.”

During that first phase, the Shelter helps the survivor restore their documents, like birth certificates and social security cards, and does medical and mental health assessments.

“We try to link them up with trauma counseling and peer support during that period of time,” explained Cuevas. “If they’re able to kind of get through all of those different hurdles, then they move into phase two.”

The next phase is another four months, geared towards working on building or rebuilding relationships. At that point, the goal is for the survivor to regain emotional health and motivation.

“We’re trying to offer these ladies as much empowerment and as many tools as possible,” said Cuevas.

The third and fourth phases are five months each, with the third phase focused on identifying what kind of employment, vocational or housing situation the survivor is looking forward to after they leave the Shelter.

The fourth and final phase is about making sure the survivor has all the resources and the support they need, emotionally and financially.

“So that when you do leave at 18 months, you’re either going into another level of transitional housing for human trafficking, or you’re going into an independent living situation,” explained Cuevas.

There’s no doubt it’s a rigorous program.

“I try to be very upfront with people when they talk to me about coming in the program, because I don’t like people to be blindsided,” said Cuevas.

And if it’s not meant for you, the Shelter will understand.

“One of my big things with with the residents here too is, you know, if you ever want to leave, you can leave,” said Cuevas. “I’m not interested in replicating any kind of trafficking power situation where they can’t leave if they don’t want to.”

Need help?

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or visit their website.

You can reach the Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 200 languages. All calls are confidential and answered live.

You can also contact The Shelter for Abused Women & Children for help at (239) 775-1101.

The human trafficking shelter is located at a confidential site in Collier County. It is a 60-bed emergency shelter serving victims of human trafficking as well as survivors of domestic violence. 

All services at The Shelter are provided free of charge to individuals in need – no citizenship required.