Survivor Perspectives: Interview with Iryna

Over these next weeks leading up to July 30’s World Day Against Human Trafficking, ECPAT-USA will be amplifying the voices of our Survivors’ Council on how the color of their skin has impacted their experiences as trafficking survivors. This interview is with Iryna, who was trafficked in Brooklyn for three years by her then-boyfriend.

(Responses have been condensed for space.)

How have you been feeling since the death of George Floyd?

His death was very brutal, very public. I did not watch the video, to be honest, I can’t watch that type of brutality...The African American community was deeply wounded by this. Why am I having this reaction to helicopters flying over, to gunshots? It’s because I don’t feel safe. I have not had panic attacks in a long time, and this is all very triggering.  I have been forcing myself to go for walks outside, to say that “it’s gonna be OK,” and force myself to go a little at a time. People I love are hurting, and you are trying to be strong for them, but I’m trying to deal with my own stuff and it took a lot.  

Things have gotten better. It wasn’t like this a couple of weeks ago, but they are getting better now...Things were bad in the past, things will get better now. I’m a diehard optimist. 

Have you had interactions with law enforcement?

I’ve never had negative interactions. I appreciate law enforcement. I have friends in law enforcement who are amazing women. They love their jobs, they do a great job and do a great job of protecting people. Those individuals who kill people, I don’t even consider them police. I consider them criminals with a badge. They should be held accountable. 

When I was assaulted by my trafficker, the police were not exactly disrespectful, but I felt that I was being judged. One of the officers said, “well, that’s a dirtbag for a boyfriend.”  He was right. 

What would you want law enforcement to know about victims of sex trafficking?

They are somebody’s children. They are frightened. They are hurt. There’s more to a victim than meets the eye. When I reported my ex-boyfriend to the police, I was reporting a domestic violence incident, I wasn’t reporting trafficking. I was deeply ashamed and did not have the ability to describe what was happening to me...When you are a caller, you are not just a problem, you are a person.

The survivors were invited to send a photo to accompany their interviews. Iryna wrote that she saw the cluster of flowers at the beginning of quarantine and that “seeing those flowers gave me hope.”

How have you experienced the connections between race and sex trafficking?

A lot of my survivor sisters come from minority backgrounds. I learned that there are intersections of a lot of things: There is race, poverty, coming from a broken home, an abusive home, a home where parents are addicted to drugs and not able to protect their kids. I’m not trying to deflect the question of race, but we need to understand that there are different sides to the problem. It’s a three-dimensional problem. 

What do you want people to know about your experiences and this current moment?

Withdrawing is a defense mechanism, it’s like pulling into a turtle shell to protect themselves.  I hope that the survivors will read the blog. We expect a lot out of ourselves...There came a day when panic attacks started happening and I couldn’t breathe, and I didn’t understand why it was happening.  It was my own body saying that I needed to slow down.  I want survivors to understand that it’s OK to care about yourself. You are valuable. You are important. You are an asset. I think that loving yourself is one of the hardest things you can do when you have been through trauma. We feel that we don’t deserve it, but we do. Advocacy is great, speaking out is great, but not to neglect yourself is so important.  

My last mission is to help people to self-heal, not just trafficking victims, but also domestic violence victims, people who have been through trauma. I tell them, “it is important to care for yourself now.” I think that we are all healing as we go along our life journey. Very few things make me as happy as seeing other women making their way through life. I celebrate their achievements, their accomplishments, leaving their abusive husbands. I think that’s why God kept me alive. I am grateful. I would not have it any other way.

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