The following survivor testimonies illuminate the personal plights of countless victims of human trafficking and torture. Testimonies are complied from a variety of media sources.
Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearance
Produced by WITNESS, this documentary tells the stories of Khaled El-Masri and Binyam Mohamed, two men who survived extraordinary rendition, secret detention, and torture during the war on terror. Watch here.
In DR Congo, rape as a weapon of war (UNICEF)
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where years of war have taken a devastating toll, sexual violence has occurred on a mass scale. Since 1994, hundreds of thousands of women and girls here have been raped. Many are afraid to come forward, and suffer in silence. Watch here.
Teenager recounts horror of abduction into sex slavery (MSNBC)
Thousands of American youths are victims of human trafficking. One such victim, Shauna Newell, is remarkably composed as she describes being kidnapped, drugged, gang-raped and savagely beaten. It is only when she talks about seeing one of the men who sexually assaulted her — free and unafraid of being prosecuted — that she starts to break down. Watch here
Sex slaves in America. The story of a Ukranian girl called Katya (MSNBC)
In the Spring of 2004, Ukranian student Katya signed up for a summer job placement as a waitress in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After arriving in Washington D.C. Katya was met by two men holding a sign with her name on it. The men were charming and reassuring and informed Katya that plans had changed and she had been reassigned to a waitressing job in Detroit, Michigan. When Katya arrived at her destination, everything changed, and she was quickly informed about the debt she had incurred and her new working arrangements, at the strip club, Cheetah. Watch here
The story of Burmese child prostitutes in Thailand
Each year thousands of young girls are recruited from rural Burmese villages to work in the sex industry in neighboring Thailand. Held for years in debt bondage in illegal Thai brothels, the girls suffer extreme abuse by pimps, clients and local authorities. This is one young girl’s story from Burma and how she entered the sex trade in Thailand. Watch here
Aljazeera: Doctor arrested in Indian organ scam
Doctor Amit Kumar, believed to be the mastermind of an organ-trading racket in India, was arrested for running a sizable racket in live kidneys. His clients were rich Indians and foreign visitors in urgent need of a kidney. Kumar lured poor rural laborers to his “hospital” in New Delhi with promises of large sums of money and/or job offers. Watch the victims tell their stories here
Contemporary slavery in rural Brazil
Farm workers discuss exploitative labor practices and inhumane working conditions in rural Brazilian farms. Watch here
A case of sexually exploited children in America
Story of sex trafficking of teenaged girls in San Diego, CA. Watch here
Doctors Without Borders: Condition Critical, Voices from the War in Congo
For more than a decade, several armed groups and the army have been fighting each other in eastern DRC. The violence has made it impossible for people to lead normal lives. Life isn’t just hard in the Kivus: this region is in critical condition. And things aren’t getting any better. The destiny of everyone in this region of Congo is shaped by the war. The story of their struggle to survive needs to be told. Watch full video here.