Eight years ago, Maria left Caracas, Venezuela, driven by dwindling opportunities and the hope of completing her veterinary studies. At just 21, she accepted an offer from an acquaintance who promised work in Trinidad and Tobago, cleaning homes, waiting tables. It seemed like a lifeline, a way to support herself and her family back home.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t know then that she was stepping into a well-laid trap.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed in the promise of a better future,\u201d Maria recalled, \u201cbut found myself trapped in a nightmare I couldn\u2019t escape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forced into labour and sexual exploitation, she lived in fear, rarely seeing sunlight, with her freedom stripped away.<\/p>\n
Maria has found stability and strength, determined to turn her story into one of resilience and healing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Held captive for months<\/strong><\/h2>\nAfter eight months in captivity, Maria managed to escape. It wasn\u2019t the end of her struggles, but the start of a slow, determined journey toward healing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now 29, she lives in Trinidad and Tobago with her partner and their two young children, aged one and five. Though her days are now filled with school runs and shared meals, the trauma still lingers. She smiles when she speaks of them, but her voice carries the weight of everything she has survived.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been easy,\u201d she said, her voice shaking. \u201cBut, I am building a new life, step by step.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back in Venezuela, her family knows nothing of what she endured. Shame and fear have kept her silent. It\u2019s been seven years since she last saw her parents and siblings. Although she misses them deeply, the weight of what happened still feels too heavy to put into words.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Maria](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Collections\/Embargoed\/28-07-2025-IOM-Trinidad-migrants-03.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" "\\"Maria")
\n<\/div>\nMaria draws strength from her two young children, now aged one and five, as she rebuilds her life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Combatting human trafficking<\/strong><\/h2>\nLike many survivors of human trafficking, Maria has had to rebuild more than just her physical safety. The emotional wounds run deep, and the stigma surrounding trafficking makes recovery even harder.<\/p>\n
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been by her side, offering psychosocial support, helping her find safe housing and providing the tools to rebuild her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work tirelessly to combat human trafficking,\u201d says Desery Jordan-Whiskey, reporting project assistant in Trinidad and Tobago. \u201cOur commitment is to provide critical assistance to survivors while advocating for stronger policies to prevent exploitation and ensure justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"SDG](\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Graphics%20Library\/21-03-2023-SDG-Goal-8-logo.jpg\/image1024x768.jpg\" "\\"SDG")
\n<\/div>\nSDG 8<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
SDG 8: ENSURE DECENT WORK<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n- Take immediate measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking<\/li>\n
- Protect labour rights, and promote safe, secure environments for all workers<\/li>\n
- Sustain per capita economic growth and at least seven per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in\u00a0least developed countries<\/li>\n
- Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technology and innovation<\/li>\n
- Improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production<\/li>\n
- Decouple economic growth with environmental degradation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Global unemployment is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels, although not in low-income countries<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMaria is one of many women across the region who have been lured by false promises and found themselves in situations of exploitation.<\/p>\n
She knows there\u2019s a long road ahead, but she refuses to be defined by her past.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want other women to know they are not alone. There is life after this, there is strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her story sheds light on the wider human trafficking crisis, where women and girls are disproportionately affected. According to the\u00a02024 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 52 per cent of victims in Central America and the Caribbean are girls under the age of 18, and 62 per cent are trafficked for sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n
Behind every statistic is a human being, a daughter, a sister, a mother, trying to survive and recover.<\/p>\n
But, numbers cannot capture the courage it takes to begin again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am living proof that you can rebuild your life,\u201d Maria says, her voice steady now. \u201cIt takes time, but it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\nMaria draws strength from her two young children, now aged one and five, as she rebuilds her life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Combatting human trafficking<\/strong><\/h2>\nLike many survivors of human trafficking, Maria has had to rebuild more than just her physical safety. The emotional wounds run deep, and the stigma surrounding trafficking makes recovery even harder.<\/p>\n
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been by her side, offering psychosocial support, helping her find safe housing and providing the tools to rebuild her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work tirelessly to combat human trafficking,\u201d says Desery Jordan-Whiskey, reporting project assistant in Trinidad and Tobago. \u201cOur commitment is to provide critical assistance to survivors while advocating for stronger policies to prevent exploitation and ensure justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\n<\/div>\nSDG 8<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
SDG 8: ENSURE DECENT WORK<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n- Take immediate measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking<\/li>\n
- Protect labour rights, and promote safe, secure environments for all workers<\/li>\n
- Sustain per capita economic growth and at least seven per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in\u00a0least developed countries<\/li>\n
- Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technology and innovation<\/li>\n
- Improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production<\/li>\n
- Decouple economic growth with environmental degradation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Global unemployment is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels, although not in low-income countries<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMaria is one of many women across the region who have been lured by false promises and found themselves in situations of exploitation.<\/p>\n
She knows there\u2019s a long road ahead, but she refuses to be defined by her past.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want other women to know they are not alone. There is life after this, there is strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her story sheds light on the wider human trafficking crisis, where women and girls are disproportionately affected. According to the\u00a02024 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 52 per cent of victims in Central America and the Caribbean are girls under the age of 18, and 62 per cent are trafficked for sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n
Behind every statistic is a human being, a daughter, a sister, a mother, trying to survive and recover.<\/p>\n
But, numbers cannot capture the courage it takes to begin again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am living proof that you can rebuild your life,\u201d Maria says, her voice steady now. \u201cIt takes time, but it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\nSDG 8<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
SDG 8: ENSURE DECENT WORK<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n- Take immediate measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking<\/li>\n
- Protect labour rights, and promote safe, secure environments for all workers<\/li>\n
- Sustain per capita economic growth and at least seven per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in\u00a0least developed countries<\/li>\n
- Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technology and innovation<\/li>\n
- Improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production<\/li>\n
- Decouple economic growth with environmental degradation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Global unemployment is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels, although not in low-income countries<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMaria is one of many women across the region who have been lured by false promises and found themselves in situations of exploitation.<\/p>\n
She knows there\u2019s a long road ahead, but she refuses to be defined by her past.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want other women to know they are not alone. There is life after this, there is strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her story sheds light on the wider human trafficking crisis, where women and girls are disproportionately affected. According to the\u00a02024 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 52 per cent of victims in Central America and the Caribbean are girls under the age of 18, and 62 per cent are trafficked for sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n
Behind every statistic is a human being, a daughter, a sister, a mother, trying to survive and recover.<\/p>\n
But, numbers cannot capture the courage it takes to begin again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am living proof that you can rebuild your life,\u201d Maria says, her voice steady now. \u201cIt takes time, but it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
- \n
- Take immediate measures to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking<\/li>\n
- Protect labour rights, and promote safe, secure environments for all workers<\/li>\n
- Sustain per capita economic growth and at least seven per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in\u00a0least developed countries<\/li>\n
- Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technology and innovation<\/li>\n
- Improve global resource efficiency in consumption and production<\/li>\n
- Decouple economic growth with environmental degradation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Global unemployment is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels, although not in low-income countries<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Maria is one of many women across the region who have been lured by false promises and found themselves in situations of exploitation.<\/p>\n
She knows there\u2019s a long road ahead, but she refuses to be defined by her past.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want other women to know they are not alone. There is life after this, there is strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her story sheds light on the wider human trafficking crisis, where women and girls are disproportionately affected. According to the\u00a02024 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 52 per cent of victims in Central America and the Caribbean are girls under the age of 18, and 62 per cent are trafficked for sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n
Behind every statistic is a human being, a daughter, a sister, a mother, trying to survive and recover.<\/p>\n
But, numbers cannot capture the courage it takes to begin again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am living proof that you can rebuild your life,\u201d Maria says, her voice steady now. \u201cIt takes time, but it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n