While women make up less than 10% of Guardia Civil officers across the board, they make up 60% of Cristina’s squad. The head of the unit, Félix Durand, explains their recruitment as a “priority”.
He believes that victims of sex trafficking, especially teenage girls, feel more comfortable sharing details with a female officer.
The United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs (UNODC) estimates that around 50,000 victims of human trafficking are identified worldwide each year.
Its latest global report on human trafficking, published on Wednesday, externalsays the identification of victims has increased by 25% compared to the period before the pandemic, as “more children are being exploited and there is a surge in cases of forced labour”.
The report says women and girls continue to make up the majority of victims identified worldwide, who are mainly trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Spain is both a country of exploitation and a transit point for thousands of victims trafficked to Europe.
Victoria and the other victims were hidden in an apartment surrounded by other apartments. Victoria felt she was being abused in plain sight – she believes the screams for help, the beating and the constant stream of men coming in and out of the property made it obvious.
“The neighbors, the postman, everyone knew. They could have killed me, and no one would have asked questions,” she recalls.
After an adjustment during the Covid-19 pandemic, human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation has gone further underground, the Civil Guard told the BBC.
It said that while many women are still exploited in public places such as bars or on the streets, most documented victims are now hiding in private apartments provided by traffickers, making it difficult for police to identify them.
Ilias Chatzis, head of UNODC’s anti-trafficking and migrant smuggling division, says the heavy involvement of organized crime groups means that human trafficking is now increasingly intertwined with other illegal activities such as drug trafficking or cybercrime.
“A large number of victims go undetected because sometimes the authorities prosecute the trafficker for a minor offense but not for trafficking, so the victim will not be identified as a victim of trafficking,” he told the BBC.
As for Victoria, she is grateful that the police have recognized her own experience and wants to use it to draw attention to those victims who are still waiting to be rescued.
“They gave me another chance not only to live, but to heal and hug my children again.”
She asked the BBC to call her “Victoria” because it means “victory” in Spanish.
“I go outside and I’m breathing and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, thank you, I’m alive.’ I feel free, and that’s the best feeling.”
Christina says she’s amazed at Victoria’s resilience.
“She is an example of how you can survive and overcome such an ordeal,” Christina explains. “I often think, ‘Oh my God, you have so much inner strength, so much courage.’
