Nastya, 51

“I lived and worked in a small town in western Ukraine. After the start of the war I began to fear for my safety and wanted to leave for Poland or Slovakia. I found an advertisement on the internet offering a job in the hotel industry in Slovakia. I called the number from the ad and agreed with Eva, who picked up the phone, on accepting her offer. I was to work as a chambermaid in a hotel in western Slovakia and make €800 a month. Eva offered to arrange transportation from the border to the hotel for me, and also to provide me with accommodation in an apartment with other women working for them.

My transportation was waiting for me at the border as agreed, and I moved in the offered apartment with two other women. The next day I started a 12-hour shift at work. As I needed to make money as soon as possible, I agreed to work from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the next three days. But Eva forced me to work at least 12 hours every day and refused to give me leave during the weekend. After nine days I couldn’t handle working anymore and refused to go to work. Eva started to threaten me saying that she would report me, that I’m in Slovakia illegally, and that I would get a ban on entry into Slovakia for five years.

Eva didn’t pay me any money for the work that I had done, and demanded €300 from me as rent for the apartment I lived in. I never signed an employment contract with Eva. I confided my situation to assistance center staff and they asked for help from an organization helping victims of human trafficking.”