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Chloe

2013 (Narrative date)

Men, women and children make up those trafficked in Indonesia, subjected to forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation. Brokers working in rural areas are known to lure men and boys into forced labour on palm oil, rubber and tobacco plantations, while women and under-age girls are lured into work as domestics in private homes and as commercial sex workers. Rising unemployment and slowed job creation has pushed people into the informal sector unprotected by labour laws and thus made them more vulnerable to exploitation. There are currently only 18 shelters in Indonesia working to rescue and rehabilitate traffic victims.

Chloe was offered work as a model by what she thought was a well-known agency. After arriving in Kuala Lumpur she checked into a hotel arranged by the modelling agency. There she met a recruiter who told her to hand over her passport. When she refused, the recruiter attacked her. Chloe was able to lock herself in the bathroom and call for help. 

My name is Chloe Lane, I’m 22 years old. I am a full time actress and model. I was contacted through email by a modelling agency in Malaysia. I trusted that this agency was real because they used the name of a big, well known agency. It seemed like it was an actual agency.

He kept trying to get my passport from me, he kept saying this is normal all the other girls do it, and so that was when red lights went off in my head and I have been taught never give anyone your passport. If you’re in a different country you need that.

He just came right up to me and erm, I don’t know exactly what it was, but there was something sharp in my bag. The only thing that was running through my mind was erm, if you don’t fight him, you’re not going to get out of this alive.

[Chloe managed to push the agent away and locked herself in the bathroom with her phone and his bag]

I opened the bag to see what was inside and aside from the machete there was a roll of duct tape, mine as well as three or four other girls’ passport copies. I thought oh this is a big operation it wasn’t just me and God knows how many other girls they’ve already gotten.

As told to documentary makers at MTV Exit.