Local survivor of labor trafficking speaks out

Every year, there are hundreds of thousands of victims of human trafficking in the U.S. That includes sex trafficking and labor trafficking.

Channel 9′s Elsa Gillis spoke with Hope Lloyd, who spent years of her childhood in a labor trafficking nightmare. Now, she’s speaking out to help others.

RESOURCES: How to get help, how to help fight human trafficking

“Ultimately, I feel very grateful to be given a second chance,” Hope told Channel 9.

Not unlike her name, Hope has managed to find the brighter side of life after living through a very dark chapter.

“Our trafficker targeted my mom in London. She met all the qualifications of the perfect target that traffickers looked for,” Hope said. “She was an abused woman. She had two children, no family support, no community. She worked a couple jobs, some broken English, poor trying to support us.”

Her trafficker helped Hope’s mother escape an abusive marriage, then bought clothing and gifts for her and the girls, eventually offering to take Hope and her sister to Spain for an education and more support.

“So, I can’t imagine her being in her early to mid-20s with two girls, abused and divorced at that point, and then you’ve never heard of trafficking. And you’re a victim yourself of abuse – that sounds like a dream,” Hope said, adding that her mom thought her girls would be cared for.

Hope has vivid, painful memories of when her mother left them with their trafficker full time. She was 8 years old.

“I was shocked that she wasn’t there. I just remember crying,” Hope said.

For 13 years, Hope said her trafficker physically abused her, her older biological sister, and younger adopted sister. She also forced them to work – no education, no friends and little connection with the outside world.

“We immediately became like house slaves. So, cleaning, cooking – she had animals,” Hope said.

Kristi Wells, CEO and co-founder of the nonprofit Safe House Project, said places where you might encounter victims of labor trafficking include construction sites, nail salons, massage parlors, agriculture settings, and even mall kiosks.

Kristi Wells, CEO and co-founder of Safe House Project

Safe House Project has free OnWatch Training to help spot trafficking and report it.

Wells also told Channel 9 about a new reporting tool that could change the face of human trafficking.

It’s called Simply Report and Wells said it’s an artificial intelligence-based program. You can find more information about the tool on Safe House Project’s website.

Wells emphasized that their team will never find anyone at fault for reporting suspicious activity. “We just need people to pay attention and to speak up,” she said.

(WATCH BELOW: 5 arrested after undercover human trafficking sting in Rowan County)