Silvia, 19

“I wanted to make some money abroad after high school, before beginning college, and learn a little German. I was looking for some agencies on the internet and found an interesting offer to babysit two kids for a Zürich family. The work included cleaning and cooking. The pay wasn’t bad, the agency handled all the necessary paperwork and the trip for a small fee. A taxi had been waiting for me at the airport, it took me to a small town near Zürich.

The house was large and beautiful, with a garden, a huge estate, and a private security service. When I asked the woman who had welcomed me at the house where the children are, she told me that they are on vacation at their grandparents’, and that my job would be to clean the house and cook. It seemed weird to me but I began work anyway. Sometimes I had to work 13 hours also during weekends. After more than a month I thought I would get a nice paycheck, but the woman and the man of the house told me that I have to repay the trip and accommodation first.

I didn’t agree and started to yell and threatened to report them to the police. Suddenly they started to calm me down and gave €200 in cash saying they would pay me the rest the next day. The next day a different man and woman arrived and told me that they had bought me from the house owners and that I would do as they say and if not, my family in Slovakia would not like it. I got scared and went with them. They locked me in an apartment and started to bring me clients with whom I was to have sex for money. But I never saw that money. I could not leave the apartment and they gave me pills to keep me working longer. One client used to come more often and so I told him what was going on. We agreed that he would help me.”