Life's Little Lettuces: HUMAN TRAFFICKING – and how DNA Light Up is making a difference (copied from LinkedIn)

A few short years ago, the term ‘trafficking’ was not a word in my vocabulary. I knew little about the horrors of this very real plague in our society. And in total honesty, I had been lured to believe that it was something that happened in other countries, or to other people, so it wasn’t something that was on my agenda. I was wrong. Very wrong.

Human trafficking is a pandemic. It’s worldwide. And it’s local. It’s happening right under our noses, and whilst there are growing reports of trafficking rings being brought to justice, it remains a very real and rising threat – not least of which is because it’s such a distressing subject that is hard to absorb. See link to a United Nations global report for Western and Central Europe at the end of this article.

I first met Emma Crews in 2016. She was introduced to me as someone who could benefit from DNA Light Up. This was to be the first time I heard, first hand, about the living nightmare of modern-day trafficking. Not in some other country. Not miles away. Here, local to me in France, and happening in broad daylight on my doorstep.

Emma has worked tirelessly, since 2013, to support women who have been forced into prostitution through trafficking. This was how I learned about a heroic group of people working for an association called Les Ami-e-s des Femmes de la Libération (Friends to the Women of Freedom) set up in 2015 to help women who are victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution. Poitiers is a relatively small city in South West France, with a population of 90,000 (compared with 9million people in London)

Their front page delivers this message:

In Poitiers, until 2017, there were nearly 70 women working in the streets who were forced into prostitution. Mostly from Nigeria, the women often do not know how to read or write. Prostitution was never their choice: they arrived in Europe and were delivered to pimps who forced them into prostitution, threatening the death of their families back in Nigeria. Violence from clients and pimps is their daily life. Sometimes these vulnerable women have the courage to leave prostitution, when we reach out to help them.

Our sessions together were raw, dark, painful and hard-hitting. She had witnessed so many dark stories of torture and abuse, and faced so many battles in securing help and shelter for the women she was so passionate to support, that she was exhausted. Feeling drained and scarred, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, she even told me that she could never imagine bringing a child into a world that is so cruel and dark.

The sessions made a huge and immediate difference to her, and as a result of her experiences she decided to train to deliver DNA Light Up herself (in both French and English) and asked whether we could work with the women she was supporting. It was the summer of 2016, and we were running the latest Activator Training residential course. This was when we first met Benedicta, who came to us as a volunteer to experience her DNA Light Up experience in the presence of our trainees. Our Director of Training, Sharon Bott, stepped forward to take her through, while the rest of us sat around a table to the side, to observe the experience in person.

We all wept, as this beautiful woman told her story – her face was grey, she looked at the floor, tears rolling down her face as she whispered “Even my conscience tells me I’m nothing but a filthy prostitute”. She told of the deception, the pain, the torture, the stranglehold that the pimps held over her, as well as the threats to her family. She had left her home in Nigeria, and came to Europe with the promise of an education and a bright future. Instead, her fate was to sell her body. Raped. Tortured. Abused. Penniless. Living in fear... she had very nearly given up hope.

She had a young child, and was fearful of not being able to look after him – and yet something inside had kept her alive, somehow she’d found Emma, and Emma had brought her to Light Up.

Even after the very first session, it was clear to see the changes. She had a smile on her face. Her eyes were brighter. She stood taller and moved more freely as she began to regain her power. By the end of the experience (three sessions, a total of five hours), she emerged as a shining warrior. Unrecognisable from the broken soul who first walked through the gates.

We all found ourselves whooping with joy and dancing around the garden with her as she literally transformed in front of our eyes. It was utterly glorious, and a precious moment that to this day remains burned in our memories – thank you Benedicta, your journey was a privilege to witness, and you remain an inspiration to all of us this day.

Move forward to today. Both Emma and Benedicta are transformed. They have both made such seismic changes to their lives, they each recorded a video to share their experiences with DNA Light Up - Benedicta's son makes a cheeky appearance in hers! Both these incredible women continue to inspire others, Emma continues to work tirelessly for the cause, and Benedicta is keen to write a book to share her story with others – we are talking about doing it together.

As for DNA Light Up and our beautiful team of Activators? We continue to remain committed and passionate about making a difference by sharing this work with the world.