They fled violence and death in search of safety and acceptance. But for hundreds of transgender women from Latin America, the promise of a better life in Europe has turned into a nightmare.
Hidden behind closed doors in Airbnbs and homes turned into brothels, their exploitation is advertised openly online. Who is behind these trafficking networks? How do they stay invisible while operating in plain sight? And why are so few victims identified, despite the growing evidence?
This investigation pulls back the curtain on a highly organised and deeply hidden world of abuse, exposing the systems that fail to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable.
Lost in Europe, an award-winning cross-border journalism project known for exposing the disappearance of child migrants, has dedicated over a year to investigating the plight of thousands of Latin American transgender women brought to Europe to be exploited.
This exploitation often takes place in secret, within private homes and Airbnb rentals repurposed as brothels. Meanwhile, sex advertisements are openly published online, creating a disturbing contrast between hidden abuse and public visibility.
Research in Belgium reveals connections between this trafficking and other organised crimes, including drug trafficking, money laundering via money mules and collaborations in industries like construction and cleaning.
Despite these alarming findings, only 68 Latin American survivors of human trafficking were officially identified in the Netherlands last year. How does such a vast and organised network remain so invisible? This investigation aims to answer that question, exposing the systemic failures and challenges in combating this form of modern slavery.