An Eastern European woman trafficked for sexual exploitation Clinical notes on three West African women who were trafficked as children for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. “I am afraid of the police. The traffickers told me that it was a police officer who trafficked me to England.” Miriam was aged nine when she was trafficked to the UK for domestic servitude. If she made mistakes with the housework she was threatened with being returned to her country of origin in West Africa. When she tried to call the police for help she was beaten and told that if the police came they would take her away. A South American woman trafficked for sexual exploitation “I didn’t trust the police because they were friends of my boyfriend who forced me into prostitution, and they knew what was happening to me. Some of them even had sex with me and brought other women to the house who were prostitutes. My boyfriend threatened to kill me if I left him and he reminded me of his contacts within the police and the mafia. The police are not much good unless you have connections or you are rich. They won’t care if the trafficker tries to kill me and they would not be able to stop it anyway.” Anasa was threatened with the police if she was unable to carry out all the tasks she was given. The family who trafficked her would pretend to call the police in order to frighten her. Josephine was told that if she called the police, she would be arrested and jailed for being an “illegal immigrant”. The trafficker frequently drew Josephine’s attention to news items about the treatment of irregular migrants and would tell her that she was “only trying to protect her”. Negative encounters with the authorities of the country in which they have been exploited can also deter victims of trafficking from coming forward to ask for help. For example, they may have had experiences of police and immigration officers from raids of their accommodation or workplaces which have resulted in them being penalized rather than assisted.46 A significant proportion of victims of trafficking referred to HBF have previously been held in immigration detention 47 or have been convicted and imprisoned for criminal offences.48 Fear of having committed a crime in the course of having been trafficked or in relation to their situation as a victim of trafficking inhibits them from coming forward or being able to provide a full account of their circumstances to the authorities. HBF clinicians work with victims of trafficking from West Africa who have been subjected to ritualized violence in “Juju” ceremonies performed by traffickers. These ceremonies utilize cultural beliefs in the ancient and omnipotent power of Juju to terrorize victims, instilling deep fears to subjugate them in preparation for exploitation and to prevent them from telling anyone about their experiences.49 A West African victim of Juju trafficking for sexual exploitation “It is like the real me is kept in a black box in my head. She has no power. It is not me doing it, it is something else. I cannot talk about it. If I do, I may die and so may you.” Care and Support for Adult Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings: A Review Working Arrangements for the Welfare and Protection of Adult Victims of Human Trafficking Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings 4.2 Ritualised Violence, Subjugation and Threats in Juju Trafficking Cases - Rituals which threaten victims and their loved ones with illness or death are an effective form of long-term coercion. An enduring psychological bond is formed between the trafficker and the victim that is not dependent upon their physical proximity. 6 are no BBC News R (on the application of AM) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, 68 Breaking the spell of Juju -