MinistryWatch, June 2025
Jessica’s story is harrowing — a chilling account of coercion and control. Just 20 years old and living in suburban Minneapolis, Jessica (not her real name) was trapped in a prostitution ring where her traffickers controlled her every move. They texted addresses where she was expected to meet clients. Unbeknownst to her, they had inserted a tracking device under her skin — likely while she was drugged or intoxicated — so they could always monitor her. They would show up wherever she went: her job, the library, even her grandmother’s house. It was psychological warfare.
“You can’t imagine how they gaslit her,” said Laura Mulliken, executive director of Minnesota-based Trafficking Justice. “One time they broke into her house and locked her cat — which she adores — in a room, making her fearful for herself and her cat.” The traffickers wanted to remind Jessica that she wasn’t safe. Jessica became paranoid, withdrawn, and physically unwell. Her family feared she was mentally ill. “She was driven crazy by these people,” Mulliken said.
Then a relative heard Mulliken speak at a St. Paul-area church. Mulliken described signs of trafficking that sounded all too familiar. That connection led to police involvement and the discovery of the tracking device. With the help of Mulliken and Trafficking Justice, Jessica is now out of her traffickers’ immediate control, but her recovery is far from over. Like many victims, she may need to move far away from her traffickers to begin healing truly. Jessica’s story is heartbreaking — and it is why Christian organizations across the country are rising to confront the dark reality of human trafficking in all its forms: labor, sex, and even organ trafficking.
