Marie's Story
Marie is in her late fifties, and while many might be thinking of retirement, she is only now beginning to live. Just three years ago, she gained her freedom after a lifetime of unimaginable abuse and exploitation. Today, thanks to The Salvation Army, Marie is thriving.
Her story begins in childhood. After her parents divorced, her mother remarried a man who subjected Marie to years of violence and sexual abuse. “He told me he would nail my mother to a cross if I told her,” Marie recalls. As she grew, the abuse escalated, and other men were brought into the home to exploit her. Despite this, she tried to continue her education and care for the children her abusers had fathered.
Eventually, a couple she met through a church promised her a new life in the UK. But when she arrived, Marie was enslaved once again - forced into domestic servitude and later sexually exploited. “I cleaned and cleaned and they kept promising me that soon I would start my education,” she says. Instead, she was subjected to horrific abuse.
“Sometimes they would make me see 20 men in one day… I don’t think I was the first person they had done this to.”
Marie lived for years without a passport, unable to leave the house, and completely isolated. “They wouldn’t let me watch TV or listen to the radio… The only good thing was the books they gave me. I learned so much about politics, health and nutrition". Her nightmare continued as she was trafficked to cities and into forced prostitution, finally ‘selling’ her to a customer who promised her freedom and marriage. This was yet another false promise and the abuse continued.
Her new husband and abuser threatened her with heroin injection at drug-fuelled parties if she didn’t join in so he could make money from selling films of what went on. “I knew from Trainspotting what heroin could do to someone’s life. I couldn’t let this happen". Desperate, she fled to her sister’s house - but her sister, persuaded by her husband that all was fine, sent her back. Eventually, as she sat in tears by the side of the road, a stranger offered her shelter - only to exploit her again.
It wasn’t until the COVID pandemic that change finally came. When her abuser became ill, his wife learned the truth. “His wife was sympathetic and it was she who first explained to me that I had been trafficked. She helped Marie contact authorities, and from there, Marie was referred to The Salvation Army.
Marie was placed in a safe house where, for the first time, she felt secure. “At first I didn’t believe anything they told me… I even considered going back. I couldn’t understand the kindness.” Her recovery was slow but profound. Support workers helped her access medical care, remove breast implants that had been forced on her, and regain confidence. “I was given my first bank card… I found myself walking upright, going out by myself, even asking a policeman for directions".
She describes the safe house as a haven. “This house is amazing - it’s like living in a luxury hotel… I’m so blessed to wake up each morning here.” Her health has improved, she volunteers locally, and is undertaking academic studies including a master’s degree in health and nutrition.
Marie is no longer just surviving - she is living, learning, and giving back, all thanks to the compassion and unwavering support of The Salvation Army.
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