CT women make it their mission to help others after being trafficked

Ashley Phan said she experienced trafficking firsthand.

“I'm suffering the consequences of familial child labor trafficking,” Phan said.

Erin Langston did, too.

“One of my friends, she asked me how many guys I had sex with. And I honestly looked at her and I said, I have no clue,” Langston said.

Both of these women were forced and coerced into trafficking, what’s known as modern-day slavery.

“Your housing was controlled, or your food. I like to wear this kind of puffy sleeve because it reminds me of Cinderella, because that is how I felt as a kid, Cinderella, like a house slave. And that's the best way to describe it,” Phan said.

Phan’s trafficker was her mother, making her work at her mother’s daycare for free.

Langston was 26 years old when she was sex trafficked. She said it fed a drug habit.

“I would go get high and just numb it all away,” Langston said.

FBI Special Agent Edward McConkie said it’s hard to know the exact statistics of human trafficking because it’s a crime that is often underreported.

“Sometimes victims don't even see themselves as victims, so they're slow to report or speak with law enforcement,” McConkie said.

FBI data in Connecticut shows most victims of sex trafficking are between the ages of 10 and 19. The locations included motels, private homes streets, and even playgrounds.

The stats also show that the trafficker often knows the victim.

“I want people to understand that it's not always just some guy that you don't know that does this to you, like, this was a guy that was supposed to be my boyfriend,” Langston said.

“The victims that I advocate for, they are similar to me. Born into it,” Phan said. “And it’s just a very, very painful reminder of my childhood because it’s still happening.”

Phan said she’s made it her life’s mission to help law enforcement intercept human trafficking attempts in her own backyard.

As for Langston, she’s now six years sober.

“I had a dream that if I went back out and used [drugs], I was going to die. And I don’t want to die, not ready to die, you know, I’m just now starting to enjoy my life,” Langston said.

Both women now work with others who have been trafficked.

“Sometimes, that’s all you need...that unconditional acceptance,” Langston said. “Just love and realizing you’re worthy of that, you know. Everything that’s happened is not an indication of your value.”

If you or a loved one believe they are in danger, you can call the human trafficking hotline at 1-888-373-7888.