SOPHIE’S STORY
SOPHIE HAYES, A SURVIVOR’S STORY
Sophie Hayes, a 24-year-old from Yorkshire, never imagined that her best friend would become her abuser. Over five years, Kas nurtured Sophie’s trust and affection, grooming her for what he had planned. On a holiday to Italy, Kas revealed his true intention: to groom and traffic Sophie into sexual exploitation.
I’ve got a debt that has to be repaid. You are going to repay this debt for me. It’s a sacrifice anyone would be happy to make for someone they loved. I will find you a place to work – on the streets. Your life belongs to me now. I will never let you go.
For six months, Sophie’s life was nothing but abuse, forced prostitution, manipulation, sleep deprivation, and starvation.
I was terrified of him and I was like an obedient child – or a puppet on a string, and he was the puppet master. I’d quickly learned to accept as normal that Kas decided everything on my behalf, and for the last few months, I had made no decisions of my own.
Sophie’s Recovery
“I often feel as though I’m climbing a ladder, at the top of which are all the good things I hope I’ll have one day – including a strong sense of self-esteem and the ability to accept love without question and to live at peace with myself. At the moment, I’m only a few rungs up that ladder, and I can’t even see the top of it yet. But I know that if I keep climbing, I’ll get there in the end, however long it takes me.”
OUR FOUNDER
Sophie’s greatest hope is that “my story might keep other girls safe.” When founding Sophie Hayes Foundation, that hope has become a reality – helping hundreds of women survivors of modern slavery climb that same ladder towards confidence, self-love, and sustainable freedom.
