Misconceptions of Human Trafficking: Jane Doe tells her story of survival to instill hope in victims and other survivors

An Ontario woman and human trafficking survivor, sends a message of hope to victims, and calls on the community to open their eyes to the realities of this silent crime.   

“My memory of being trafficked is vague in some senses due to my early age, yet very clear in some aspects,” says Jane Doe, 46. “The abuse happened my entire life up to the age of approximately 36.”  

MediaPlex News permitted Jane Doe an alias to respect and protect her privacy AND SAFETY.  

Jane says her uncle and her father were the primary abusers via “elements of mind control, torture, and violent actions”. It was not until her early 30s that she became conscious of the sexual and mental abuse.   

“When it comes to sex trafficking, people tend to think that it’s the teenager or young woman who is hooked on drugs or seeking attention…” Jane says. “We are not all drug addicts and homeless people or poor or from a foreign country…this happens everywhere.”  

As a teenager, Jane met social worker Maria DeRubeis who has helped her escape the decades-long abuse and has helped support her through Jane’s Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).  

DeRubeis has worked as a social worker in Windsor-Essex for more than 30 years. DeRubeis says dissociation functions as a trauma response as memories resurface “from anything as simple as a smell, sound or even a photo from when you were four.”

Victims of human trafficking hesitate to take legal action for fear of not being taken seriously, says DeRubeis.  

Statistics Canada says from 2009 to 2018, 62 police-reported incidents of human trafficking were recorded in Windsor alone and 1,166 cases in all of Ontario.   

Robyn Hodge, Rural and Remote Project Coordinator for WECEN says that victims of human trafficking develop a “trauma bond” with their traffickers making it difficult to leave.  

Hodge says that the “psychological torment” prevents victims from seeking out help out of fear of the safety of themselves and their loved ones.  

Jane says that victims and survivors like herself struggle to see a way to escape the abuse and that in some cases, there is no discernable way out.  

“It’s not like someone pulls up and opens the door saying, ‘hey Robyn do you want to come with me…I’m going to force you to work in the sex trade,’” says Hodge.  

WECEN (Windsor-Essex Counter Exploitation Network), formally known as WEFiGHT, provides direct services to domestic and international human trafficking survivors in the Windsor-Essex area.  

Hodge encourages both allies and victims to “reach out, take that chance…when you’re ready, I’m here for you.”  

“This is why it is so important to get the message of hope out there and let people know that there is help and there are safe people they can turn to,” says Jane.  

Jane currently belongs to the Discussing Dissociation Community Forum, is happily married and gives anti-human trafficking awareness presentations for community groups. “For those that are in a position to help – listen, believe, validate, act.”

For the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, please call 1-833-900-1010.