A man spent 16 years in slavery in a village near Poltava and only when he almost died was he able to escape from his "employers."
On World Day Against Human Trafficking, we tell the story of 50-year-old Serhiy, who ended up at the Adaptation Center for the Homeless and Released from Prisons of the NGO "Light of Hope".
This year, in April, a doctor from one of the Poltava medical institutions contacted the shelter's director, Marina Pereverzova.
"She said they have a patient who doesn't want to go home because he is being abused there, barely fed, and forced to live in poor conditions."
The man was later transported from the hospital to the Adaptation Center.
“He was very disoriented, scared, and afraid to answer questions,” recalls the shelter manager.
A few minutes later, a stocky man appeared at the door of the establishment, who, on the contrary, was very talkative and began to drag Serhiy to the exit.
“We managed to stop this atrocity. The unknown person explained that Serhiy was working for them for food and shelter. Our client was very scared and did not want to go with the men. Later, another unknown person came. At first, they persuaded Serhiy, then they started threatening him,” says Marina Pereverzova.
Having not achieved their goal, the men waited near the Center. So the police had to be called.
It turned out that Serhiy worked for farmers. He did not receive money for his work, like other similar workers. His payment was food and housing. However, they could feed the man once a day. And he slept on pallets.
“There was no bed. The clothes were only work clothes, dirty all the time. Like me. Because there was nowhere to bathe. Others ran away, but their owners caught them and returned them,” recalls Serhiy.
Therefore, Serhiy was often sick. Mostly with pneumonia. When the situation became threatening, he was sent to the hospital, and then taken back to the farm. The last time Serhiy realized that if he returned, he would die. Therefore, he began to ask the doctors for help.
“I started working from 5 in the morning until night. I did everything on the farm: taking care of the cows, pigs, ducks. Sometimes I lost consciousness. They took my documents, sold a share of my land, but didn’t give me the money,” says Serhiy.
The first step in supporting the client at the shelter was filing a police report. The Center's social worker also worked to establish his status as a victim of human trafficking. Serhiy received it. He was helped to restore some documents, make a declaration with his family doctor, and receive further treatment. The next step was to find a job, given his poor health. Serhiy got a job as a security guard. And the most necessary things the man received thanks to support programs of international organizations.
"Adaptation is a difficult process. And for this man, it was even more difficult. He said that for any unnecessary word or question he could be hit or kicked. That's why he was afraid to speak and answer our questions. Later, he shared that he had no idea that it could be different. And his opinion would simply be accepted," noted Maryna Pereverzova.
Serhiy is currently mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is undergoing training. The shelter team continues to take care of him, as the man still finds it difficult to interact with other people. But he knows where to turn for help if he needs it.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, call 1547, the government's anti-human trafficking hotline, or 527, the national anti-human trafficking hotline. Or contact the police at 102!
The Adaptation Center operates at the address: Poltava, Shevchenko Lane, 5a. Telephone: 095 284 74 19.
