Until 2010, the law didn’t even recognise human trafficking as a crime. Now the Spanish government estimates that up to 90% of women working in prostitution could be victims of trafficking or under the control of a third party – such as a pimp – who is profiting from them”
“As in many countries, a prosecution is almost impossible without a victim willing to disclose their situation and testify against their exploiters. ‘There is great fear among victims that if they tell the police, they will be sent back to their countries with their debts unpaid”
“It’s difficult to describe how much you can be broken in such a short time. The shock and the trauma makes you go into survival mode. You don’t have time to realise what has happened to you.”