Vesna is a mother of three, a survivor of human trafficking and sexual violence. Deceived by a close friend, she ended up in captivity abroad, where she was subjected to abuse and control. In a moment of courage — and with support from a friend, the police, and a non-governmental organization — she managed to escape and return home.
Despite the deep trauma, today she is building a new life. A new family, a job, and a commitment to helping other women. Vesna is a symbol of resistance, solidarity, and female strength.
WHEN TRUST BECOMES A TRAP
“I was 36 and going through a divorce. I felt lost and afraid. I was financially dependent. I wanted to go abroad to work, to escape everything and start over,” Vesna recalls.
She is not naïve — she speaks openly about facing a crisis at the time: emotional, financial, and familial. In such moments, trust becomes a risk. “A friend offered me a job abroad. I believed she wanted to help me.”
Psychologically, this is a classic case of manipulative recruitment — when the perpetrator exploits trust and emotional vulnerability to lure the victim into a state of total control. Vesna was transported through several countries, without documents, without any chance to resist.
WHEN THE BODY SPEAKS
In the apartment where she was held, Vesna lived under constant surveillance and complete control. “I wasn’t allowed to communicate with anyone, and I had no phone — it was turned off.” At one point, she managed to grab the phone and send a message: “I’m not okay.” That was enough to trigger a search, coordinated through Interpol.
The police located her and visited twice. “They asked if everything was okay, and under pressure, I had to say yes.” But during the second visit, Vesna made the only move she could. “The policeman greeted everyone. The policewoman reached out her hand to me, and I shook her hand and didn’t let go. Then she pulled me, and they took me. That’s how I got out of there.”
That handshake was a turning point. In captivity, victims often can’t ask for help out loud — but the body speaks. Vesna said nothing, but she didn’t let go of the officer’s hand — a clear enough signal for the policewoman to recognize that something was wrong. It was the first concrete step toward her rescue.
IT’S IMPORTANT NOT TO BE ALONE
After her rescue, Vesna was placed in a shelter center. But the fear didn’t disappear right away. “When we visited the police to answer questions, I saw the man nearby. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. We entered a store, they gave me water, sugar… I don’t know how I managed to calm down.”
That state of post-traumatic stress is common among survivors of human trafficking. The body reacts to every reminder — a smell, a face, a space — as if it’s a new threat. Vesna says she couldn’t sleep for a long time. “For a long period it was lie down — flinch. I didn’t sleep peacefully.”
After returning to her country, she got in touch with a woman from a non-governmental organization. “From that moment, things started to change.” She began receiving regular psychological and psychiatric support. “It took time, but after a few sessions and long conversations, I started to feel human again.”
In that process, a key role was played by the friend she had previously been in contact with — the man she now lives with. “He helped me a lot. He gave me space to calm down, to feel safe. He didn’t pressure me, he was just there.”
Stable, unobtrusive support plays a crucial role in the recovery process. When a survivor isn’t left alone with the trauma, space is created for trust, for calm, for regaining a sense of control. In Vesna’s case, that kind of support — from her partner, from psychologists, from the organization — allowed her to begin facing the pain and slowly return to herself.
LIFE AFTER VIOLENCE
Today, Vesna lives with the partner who helped her escape the abuse. Together they have a child, and her two children from a previous marriage live with them. “We’re married now, we live together, we have a little one. He was the only bright spot during that time.”
Her family gave her a sense of safety — a place where she could feel secure, heard, and accepted. “I gathered strength not to show my children how hard it was. They were my comfort.”
Vesna is employed, continues with psychological support, and is building a daily life where she has choices. “If I had the courage to get out of there on my own, I can keep going.”
Today, Vesna doesn’t speak only of survival — she speaks of choice. Of the courage to ask for help, of silence that finds a voice, of the body that speaks when words can’t. Her story doesn’t ask for pity, but for attention. She is a reminder that every woman deserves space for safety, support, and freedom. And most of all — no woman should ever have to fight alone.
Read all survivors’ stories at the Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia’s website.
