All names are redacted and some details have been changed to protect the women's identities.
"My father rejected me because he was ashamed of me, after someone abused me sexually. Later on my entire family abandoned me and I ended up in prostitution."
The words are Alicia's. She fled her home country and joined a relative in Europe, but after losing her job as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, she found herself in a vulnerable situation again and was lured to Sweden by an older woman who promised her a job. Once there, Alicia was forced into prostitution and endured rape and psychological violence. One day, the police in southern Sweden raided the house and arrested two pimps who were detained pending trial.
Alicia participated in the police interrogation and subsequent trial, which eventually led to the perpetrators being sentenced to prison. Having no other means of support, Alicia returned to prostitution, but a caring police officer continued to keep in touch with her and persuaded her to contact Talita.
Alicia took part in our one-year rehabilitation program and enthusiastically participated in everything from Swedish classes to internships. Today, she is doing well and her dream is to go to university, preferably to study law.
Rita was lured to Sweden from a poor country with the promise of a job as a cleaner, but instead of a cleaning job, a life of utter misery awaited her where she was forced to sell her body, night after night, to sex buyers under threat.
Some of the men mocked and abused her, calling her a 'cheap slut'. One night, we met her after the police asked us to come to an apartment where they were conducting a raid. Rita listened when we told her that help was available, but was scared and refused. A few months later, the police found her again - and this time she dared to accept Talita's help.
Rita moved into one of our shelters and joined the program. In the beginning she was afraid that the traffickers would seek out her mother in her home country and punish her for her daughter's escape from them, but when nothing happened and her mother was fine, Rita was able to land and focus on her own inner healing.
Some time ago we celebrated the end of her year with us, and when she received her diploma and flowers, we came face to face with a completely different girl than the one we met that night when she arrived. Rita is a great person, a real fighter, and she has already got her first job.
Cindy was found in prostitution by the police and their social workers during an intervention week in Västra Götaland. She had been transported to many different countries and used in prostitution by her pimps. They had monitored her via text messages and told her when a new john was coming in. Sometimes she didn't even have time to eat breakfast or take a shower before it was time to go again. Some of the customers were heavily intoxicated, others were threatening and violent.
Since Cindy does not speak English, she could never ask anyone for help. Scared and confused, Cindy initially declined the offer of help, but a day later she contacted the social worker to ask if the offer still stood, and Cindy was immediately picked up and transferred to Talita's shelter.
For the first few days, Cindy had a lot of anxiety and difficulty sleeping, but as she got to know the staff, she became more confident and her condition has become more stable. Nowadays, she often expresses her gratitude for the support around her and her biggest dream is to help others in the future. Here are her own words:
"I am very grateful for Talita and the chance to get out of this life. I never liked it, but I was chained to it. Now I feel free and I see a good future ahead of me."
Esther did everything she could to survive with her two children in the slums of her home country. If she only managed to get 20 kroner a day, they were fine, but when hunger began to take its toll on the children's stomachs, she agreed to go with a man who promised to help her find work abroad. She left the children with a relative.
When Esther landed in Sweden, she didn't even know which country she was in. She thought she would finally be able to send money home for food and school fees, but nothing turned out as she had hoped. She was forced into prostitution and was not allowed to keep anything. The men who paid for her body did not hesitate to do whatever they wanted with her. Sometimes there were several of them at the same time. But one day she saw her chance and ran for her life, until she collapsed exhausted in a forest clearing and just cried.
A passer-by noticed her and helped her contact the police. Esther was hospitalized and a day later Talita was contacted. When she first came to us, her mouth was so swollen from the oral sex she had been forced to perform that she couldn't eat. She would wake up at night crying after having nightmares about being strangled.
Esther now has a residence permit in Sweden, a permanent job and her own apartment. It hasn't been easy, and she has struggled to get her children here, but now it seems to be finally happening. Esther is a colorful, positive and lively person who loves fashion and has many friends.
