Human trafficking is a highly profitable business. 

Criminals pay from $300 to $1,000 for a human being and return the profit between $500 and $15,000. 

A person may cost up to $200,000 at times. They make slaves work as beggars, prostitutes, servants or just plain workers.

Victims of human trafficking do not like to recollect their infamous past, if they are lucky to stay alive. 

The reputation of a former slave is a like a lifetime brand, especially in small provincial towns.

A 32-year-old woman, who identified herself as Olga B., was lucky to return home after six years of slavery in Spain. 

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Her story started as an exciting summer adventure.

“I wanted to see the world and let the world see me. I did not have much money for a decent holiday. 

One day I came across a friend of mine, Galina, who said that she had been working in Spain for several months.

 She said that she was paid well and did not provide any intimate services. She offered me to come and visit her employers in Spain. 

She assured me that they were very nice people and that I would not have to pay the rent. I did not have enough money for a plane ticket, but she agreed to lend me some. She also arranged a tourist visa for me very quickly,” Olga said.

Alberto Andreani, the chairman of the Prevention of Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation project, said that it was a typical mistake for victims to make.

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“They trust their acquaintances too much. They even trust people they do not know well. As a rule, they do not even think to check their documents,” the specialist said.

Olga arrived in Spain at night. The room, which Galina’s friends showed her, was a nice cozy place. The people seemed very friendly and hospitable. When Galina asked Olga for her passport, the latter did not suspect anything.

The nightmare began early in the morning. Several strangers woke Olga up. The hospitable landlords and her only friend in Spain, Galina, were gone.

The strangers told Olga that her friend had sold her for a large sum of money. The people said that she would be able to return to Russia only when she worked her debt out.

“They offered me to work out the money with consummation. That was not sex, but just communication, and so I agreed,” the woman said.

Olga was accommodated in a four-room apartment, where about 20 women lived. She had to do night work only. 

“It was not allowed to make phone calls.

They always convoyed the girls when they needed to go out,” she said.

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