An Oxfordshire businesswoman has spoken about her painful past which is shrouded in modern slavery and sexual exploitation to raise awareness of the issue.
At the age of 17 Ilja Abbattista fell prey to a group of men offering to pay off her debts in exchange for marrying one of their associates for a visa.
Now, aged 50 and with a thriving career, supportive family and the anticipation of impending grandmotherhood, Ms Abbattista wants to raise awareness about the alarming rates of trafficking and exploitation in the UK.
She is speaking out against her past atrocities so that the plight of more than 100,000 individuals entangled in similar predicaments doesn't remain hidden and ignored during this festive season.
She said: “This is something that happened to me 30 years ago, but I don’t believe anything has really changed and more must be done to protect others from modern slavery and trafficking.
"This isn’t about me, I’m speaking out for all of those people who don’t have a voice.
"If by me speaking out I can stop this happening to just one other person, that’s all it would need to be.”
The men refused to return Ms Abbattista's passport and documents after the promised marriage fell through.
When they discovered that Ms Abbattista was voicing her fears about their dealings in trafficking and exploitation, they claimed she owed them a 'debt'.
Terrified, Ms Abbattista agreed to 'work' for them, which spanned over a harrowing 2 and a half years.
The means of 'repaying the debt' was being trafficked to various cities across Europe and forced to work in seedy venues, sex clubs and even windows of Amsterdam’s Red-Light District.
The traffickers took over her home and made her live in appalling conditions with other exploited women.
The money she earned was immediately confiscated by her traffickers.
She was often forced to work up to 23 hours a day and at times fell asleep on the job, leading to beatings from her traffickers.
Ms Abbattista managed to escape under the ruse of a medical emergency.
She has recently become an ambassador for the modern slavery charity Causeway, and is sharing her story as part of their Christmas fundraising campaign, called Rewriting Christmas.
Donations to the campaign can be made at https://www.wearecauseway.org.uk/news-campaigns/causeway-campaigns/rewriting-christmas/
The campaign aims to raise awareness of all of the individuals that will be experiencing modern slavery and exploitation this Christmas in the UK.
Amy Bond, Causeway’s chief operating officer, said: “Ilja’s story is horrendous and heart breaking, however it is also one of hope.
"The impact and change that can happen when survivors speak out is huge."
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