The boyfriend trap - how romantic relationships are being used to trap women into exploitation

Around ‘15% of victims of trafficking are thought to be trafficked by an intimate partner’ says Ben Ryan from Medaille Trust, a charity that works to support survivors of modern slavery. He explains how the longing for love can make women dangerously vulnerable.

God is love. So it says in 1 John, verse 4. In Lent Christians are called to remember the extraordinary love that God has for us, even to the point of sending his only son to be crucified. We, as Christians, are called to love God and to love one another. It is an essential part of what it is to be human; a sacred value.

This year the beginning of Lent also coincides with Valentine’s day. There will be adverts, deals and relentless media focus on romantic love, much of it seeking to capitalise on that natural yearning that humans have to love and to be loved.

That sense of yearning is hugely powerful, but it is worth remembering that that power can also be turned towards abuse and exploitation.