Hoa is 27 years old, she’s a bridal make-up specialist and a hairstylist in training. Hoa loves her family, and she’s great at her job. When Hoa was a teenager, both of her parents suffered debilitating health challenges that prevented them from working. They found themselves struggling financially, so Hoa and her brother left school to find work to support their family. Hoa found work as a waitress. She made friends with

Arunny is 17 years old, outgoing and energetic. She smiles a lot and has always dreamt of one day becoming a chef. Until three months ago, Arunny never thought she would achieve this dream. After Arunny’s mother died, her father had not wanted to care for his daughter and moved away with his new wife. Arunny had no choice but to find work. This she found, but in a karaoke bar working in

When a baby first enters the world it is usually a time of great joy as the tiny new life is embraced into a family. For Yem, a young mother in Cambodia, it was just seven days after welcoming her baby daughter into the world that she encountered unimaginable trauma. With her baby in her arms, Yem was the target of an acid attack at the hands of her husband’s mistress. The

One day when Kanha was on her way home from school, a man approached her and forced her to follow him to a quiet and less populated space. There, he raped her, leaving Kanha both physically hurt and emotionally traumatised. The trauma of this event resulted in Kanha having terrible nightmares and reflecting on the event often. She also faced discrimination from people in her community and her own family who all

*Proeumprei was badly let down by people she, and her community, thought that she could trust. Several years ago, Proeumprei was attending classes at her local church to learn English and computer skills with other children from her community. Families in the community trusted the church and its leadership and were grateful for the opportunities that the church were providing their children to have fun and learn. However, Proeumprei was eventually raped

Tai was born into extremely difficult circumstances. His father died from a traffic accident, his mother had a mental disorder and the only person he could rely on was his grandmother – who is 57 years old. Tai also has autism and when he was 4 years old, Tai was physically abused by his preschool teacher. The horrific incident was brought to light and the school and teacher suffered disciplinary punishment. The

Life During a Pandemic Neary is a human trafficking survivor and our Hagar staff has been walking the recovery journey with her for approximately 7 months. She has been working in a garment factory to survive and support her family. However, the recent pandemic with COVID-19 has recently presented many challenges for her. Due to the virus, her hours were reduced at work and she moved from working full time to part

The overwhelming need to find work and make a sustainable livelihood can make women and girls susceptible to being tricked into human slavery. At the age of 18, Hoang had no concept of human trafficking. From an ethnic minority living in central Vietnam, she went willingly with a woman from a neighboring village on the promise of work in China. Too late, she realized she had been sold as a bride to

The overwhelming need to find work and make a sustainable livelihood can make women and girls susceptible to being tricked into human slavery. At the age of 18, Hoang had no concept of human trafficking. From an ethnic minority living in central Vietnam, she went willingly with a woman from a neighboring village on the promise of work in China. Too late, she realized she had been sold as a bride to