SA woman saved from human trafficking in Asia

A 22-YEAR-OLD woman from Bonteheuwel, Cape Town, has been safely returned home after becoming the victim of suspected human trafficking in Southeast Asia - a harrowing ordeal that left her mother traumatised and desperate for help.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

The young woman (who is still traumatised and afraid to be identified) had initially travelled to Phuket, Thailand in search of employment and a better future. But shortly after her arrival, she was transported to Cambodia, where her passport was confiscated and she was forced into a situation she never agreed to.

Her 52-year-old mother recalled the heartbreak of receiving her daughter's first phone call — nearly a month after she had left the country.

“My heart broke into a million pieces,” she said. “She told me she was scared, that they took her to a place to work, but it was not what she was originally told. I didn’t know what to do or where to start to look for help — it was the first time I heard of something like this.”