These are the horrific injuries inflicted on a Bulgarian sex slave mutilated by criminals who forced her into prostitution.
The 20-year-old Bulgarian, seen covered in bruises and scars, was routinely beaten after being made to walk the streets in The Hague, Holland.
Harrowing images of the young woman were taken by an Austrian charity worker to raise awareness of the plight of victims of human trafficking.
They show the unnamed victim’s injuries from severe beatings, including a head trauma and a giant scar on her stomach. Her lips, nose and eyes are badly swollen.
Pictures show the horrific injuries inflicted on a Bulgarian sex slave mutilated by criminals who forced her into prostitution
The 20-year-old Bulgarian, seen covered in bruises and scars, was routinely beaten after being made to walk the streets in The Hague, Holland
Austrian national Norbert Ceipek moved to Bulgaria after his retirement where he opened a special centre to help victims of human trafficking.
And while Ceipek’s NGO gets some financial support from the Bulgarian government and some donations, it is not enough to help all the victims.
Ceipek said: ‘A young woman, 20, got to know a young man who promises her all his love and takes her to the Netherlands.’
‘When she arrives, she realises that she has to walk the streets with another Bulgarian and two Nigerians. She does not want to but by beating and other compulsive measures she complies and prostitutes herself eight months.’
‘During a visit back to their home country both Bulgarians tried to escape from their location, but unfortunately she was caught by him [the pimp] and brought back.
‘As the second woman managed to flee, he became so angry that he began to beat the young woman so much and also struck her with objects that she almost died.’
Harrowing images of the young woman were taken by an Austrian charity worker as a reminder that not enough is being done to help the victims of human trafficking
They show the unnamed victim’s injuries from severe beatings, including a head trauma and a giant scar on her stomach. Her lips, nose and eyes are badly swollen
The victim was thrown out of a car in front of a hospital. When the human trafficker was later arrested, he was surprised that he had been caught, and even more so to learn that his victim was alive.
The Bulgarian hospital gave her primary care, but the victim had to leave the hospital after five weeks because she did not have health insurance and she was unable to pay for it.
She ended up in Ceipek’s shelter, where he is now trying to raise funds to pay the costs needed for additional treatment.
Ceipek said: ‘She desperately needs more surgery on her face and mouth, skin transplantation and much more. There is no body part which has not been affected.’
With a yearly budget of only 30,000 EUR (£26,450), which includes the salaries of employees such as social workers and psychologists, the Austrian pensioner and his NGO do not have the funds available to cover the costs themselves.