Charleston Survivor Helps Others Escape Human Trafficking

After eight years trapped in sex trafficking, a Charleston woman known as Jane Doe is turning her darkest chapter into a beacon of hope for others still suffering in silence.

Jane's nightmare began at 28 when drug addiction made her vulnerable to manipulation. What started as a relationship turned into exploitation when her boyfriend isolated her from family and friends, making her completely dependent on him before forcing her into trafficking.

"I thought it was love for a long time," Jane says. She didn't even realize she was being trafficked until years after escaping, when a nonprofit called The Formation Project helped her understand what had happened to her.

Her experience reflects a much larger crisis in the Lowcountry. Charleston and Berkeley Counties tied for the second highest number of human trafficking tips in South Carolina last year, with 323 victims identified statewide. Heartbreakingly, 72% were children.

But Jane's story takes a powerful turn. After breaking free from her trafficker, she just celebrated three years of sobriety and now works to educate others about the warning signs she wishes she'd known.

The South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force Director Monique Garvin says this education is everything. When victims have just one trusted person who recognizes the signs, they can get connected to resources that provide life skills, employment, and healing.

Jane specifically wants hotel workers, parents, and young people to learn what trafficking really looks like. It's rarely a stranger in a van. It's often someone the victim knows and trusts, using social media to identify vulnerabilities and gradually taking control.

Why This Inspires

Jane's transformation from victim to educator shows the incredible resilience of the human spirit. Despite years of trauma, she's choosing to help others find the freedom she fought so hard to gain. Organizations like The Formation Project, Doors to Freedom, and the Tri-County Human Trafficking Task Force are now equipped with survivor insights that make their rescue efforts more effective.

Her message to current victims carries the weight of lived experience: "You're not alone and there are other resources out there and you don't have to live like that."

The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) connects victims to immediate help, and Jane's advocacy ensures more people know it exists. Every person educated about the warning signs becomes another potential lifeline for someone still trapped.

Jane's three years of sobriety and freedom prove that escape is possible, recovery is real, and survivors can reclaim their lives.