Wayne’s story
“I got a job, and that’s where I was befriended by a guy. At the time I thought he was just a friend.”
Paula’s story
Suffering from abuse all her life, sexual exploitation and domestic slavery were normal.
When Paula* came to our Women’s Safehouse, she had suffered abuse all her life.
“I had no control over where I could go,” she says. “I had my teeth knocked out by the butt of a gun, and rape and abuse were normal to me.”
It’s hard to comprehend what a lifetime of this type of treatment can do to a person’s mental health. Now aged 30, Paula is only just able to talk about it, but she’s held some details back – they’re just too painful to retell and therefore relive.
What she did tell us is this. Growing up in her native Nigeria, her mother had to give her up as a baby, so she was brought up by her “aunt”. Refused schooling so she could work as a domestic help for her aunt and various families, Paula was denied the carefree life a child should have. It was also punctuated by violence and abuse.
When civil unrest broke out, Paula was helped by one family to escape to the UK. She was 17. However, the British authorities didn’t believe her age or her claim for asylum, so she ended up on the streets. Taken in by a man she thought would help her, he soon took advantage of her too, raping her whenever he pleased.
Paula says: “He kept telling me, ‘With one phone call you will be gone back to your home country.’ I was too scared to report him. I felt it was all my fault; that I was a stupid child.”
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A way out
It was only when Paula was feeling ill (later diagnosed with HIV), that she became visible to medical services and recognised as a victim of slavery.
Finally, she had a way out, and luckily she was referred to Unseen’s Women’s Safehouse.
“When I arrived, I found it surreal and overwhelming. I’d never been anywhere that I could come and go as I please.”
As often happens, the lifetime of trauma she’d suffered suddenly came rushing to the surface. Regular flashbacks, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts ensued.
Slavery can manifest itself in different ways. For most women, there is often an element of domestic servitude or criminal exploitation mixed in. It’s challenging to unravel the shame, the mistrust and the trauma they’ve experienced.
New beginnings
Thanks to the support of her Case Worker, Paula began her asylum claim once again, and was successful. She’s now attending college, learning English and Maths. She’s doing cooking sessions and volunteering with a local charity.
“I just want to work, to earn my own money, feel safe, that no one else wants to hurt me or use me – that is all,” Paula says.
Name changed to protect Paula’s identity. Picture posed by a model
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