Kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder by human traffickers

Listen to this episode from They Survived on Spotify. Lurata Lyon grew up in the border region of Serbia and Kosovo, an area torn apart by the Balkan wars in the 1990s. At the age of 17, she was abducted by a gang involved in human trafficking and organ harvesting. She was groomed to be a sexworker and was held for about a month. When she escaped, she was abducted again and was held for six months in a small, dark room, completely cut off from the outside world. During this time, she was raped and physically abused. Her dad managed to get her out, but she lost the will to live.After her escape she was granted asylum in the United Kingdom as a political refugee, where she began a new life. Today, Lurata Lyon is an international speaker and coach, using her experiences to inspire others and raise awareness about human trafficking.This is the fourth episode of our new season of They Survived. In this series, I talk to guests from all over the world who share their intense, true, and inspiring stories in their own words.Curious about the photos that go with this episode? You can find them on our Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/heldineigenverhaal/Want to always stay up to date on new episodes of Held in Eigen Verhaal? Then follow us on TikTok as well: https://www.tiktok.com/@irisenthoven