A 26-year-old Belarusian woman, Vera Kravtsova, has reportedly died after being trafficked under the guise of a modelling career, with some reports claiming her organs were sold on the black market.

Kravtsova, who had recently moved from Minsk to St. Petersburg, Russia, had applied for a modelling job in Bangkok.

Her goal was to build a career on Thailand’s high-end runways, but according to multiple reports, the opportunity turned into a nightmare.

Instead of working in fashion, Kravtsova was allegedly taken to Myanmar in September 2025, where she was forced to work in a so-called “scam centre.”

These operations reportedly involve coercing young women into defrauding wealthy online victims.

Victims are allegedly required to surrender passports and phones, limiting contact with family or authorities, The Voice magazine reports.

Alleged exploitation and threats

Reports suggest Kravtsova’s traffickers pressured her to use her appearance to manipulate and extort money from clients.

When she could no longer generate income, her whereabouts became unknown.

Weeks later, her family was allegedly informed of her death and told that retrieving her body would cost a large sum of money.

They were later reportedly told her body had been cremated.

Credit: X

Online Russian media outlet SHOT reported that unknown sources told Kravtsova’s family she had been sold for her organs, though these claims have not been independently verified, The Sun details.

Similar cases highlight ongoing trafficking risks

Kravtsova’s story echoes other reported cases in the region.

Dashinima Ochirnimayeva, 24, from Siberia, was reportedly recruited for a modelling job in Thailand and then illegally trafficked to Myanmar. Unlike Kravtsova, Ochirnimayeva was rescued by Russian diplomats, Russian media reported at the time.

Ochirnimayeva and other alleged victims were reportedly taken to camps near the Myanmar border where traffickers forced them into fraudulent activities and extortion schemes.

Russian officials confirmed that young women were sometimes lured with promises of legitimate work before being coerced into exploitative situations.

Warnings for potential victims

Authorities and NGOs warn that traffickers in Southeast Asia are increasingly targeting foreigners through online job offers. Potential warning signs include:

1. Job offers requiring travel to remote locations or bordering countries
2. Requests to surrender passports or personal identification
3. Jobs that emphasize appearance as the main qualification
4. Lack of official contracts or verifiable company information
5. Pressure to engage in financial transactions or scams

Experts advise young women seeking modelling or entertainment careers abroad to verify agencies, insist on contracts, and maintain regular communication with family or trusted contacts.

Kravtsova’s death and similar cases underscore the dangers of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, where victims are often lured with false promises and subjected to exploitation, forced labour, or worse.

Governments and international organizations continue to work on prevention and rescue efforts, but families remain at the forefront of raising awareness about these risks.

Featured image credit: X.

The issues of sexual harassment and abuse have never been more widely discussed. After investigative journalism exposed these two celebrities, a large number of victims subsequently came forward to confess that they had been sexually exploited or even assaulted. Now even more famous figures are being named as complicit in this disturbing paradigm. However, what with all the furore over the guilt of the rich and powerful, it's all too easy to lose track of the bigger picture. Only time will tell whether these individuals will be charged and found guilty on non-consensual sexual acts, but arresting them won't end the violence or the mistreatment that vulnerable people suffer. This would be akin to treating a symptom instead of a disease. It is only by confronting the culture of rape in our society, which affects both genders egregiously but women and girls more commonly, that we will be able to change for the better. We must be clinical in our evaluations, and honest with ourselves. Only then can we hope to institute the reforms necessary to deter rapists, to bolster healthy sexual intercourse between consenting adults, and save future victims from a terrible fate. According to figures provided by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) an American is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, and approximately 17.7 million American women and 2.78 million men have been victims of rape since 1998. The sheer scale of this problem is daunting in the extreme for both police authorities and activists alike, particularly when one considers the fact that a large number of rapes go unreported. How can we turn the tide against sexual violence? According to new research, it seems as though the Netherlands might have the answer, although it's one that conservatives aren't going to like much. According to a paper published in the American Economic Journal, since the Netherlands legalised prostitution in 1988, the number of recorded acts of sexual violence and rapes have dropped by almost half. This is a gigantic number and seems to clearly indicate that the Dutch tolerance for the world's oldest profession has actually gone on to protect a great many people from the threat of sexual violence. Authored by Paul Bisschop, Stephen Kastoryan and Bas van der Klaauw, the study alleges that, between the years 1992 and 1994 registered sexual abuse and rape decreased by approximately 40 per cent, and gradually decreased further until the year 2011. The researchers of the SEO Amsterdam Economics, a public research institute in the Netherlands, believe that the foundation of so-called "tippelzones" (places where the sale of sex and solicitation of prostitutes is legal) has decreased the harm suffered by regulated hookers and prevented sex crimes elsewhere. Bisschop et al believe that Dutch prostitutes are better protected now that their occupation is controlled. Dutch prostitutes are now only allowed to register as legal sex workers after they have been subject to a lengthy interview process, and are often examined by medical professionals for signs or physical harm or STIs. Furthermore, the researchers believe that the legal sex work is acting as a preventative of sexual violence, with potential predators having their desire to force sex via violence or coercion nullified because they know they solicit sex financially. The paper notes that: "Tippelzones may, therefore, directly reduce crime on street prostitutes by providing a relatively safe and controlled working environment ... police monitoring is higher in tippelzones than in other areas of the city so criminals of all types – sex traffickers, pimps, drug dealers, violent clients – must trade off their willingness to operate in the tippelzone with the higher risk of apprehension." The researchers also found that tippelzones "lead to a decrease in sexual violence on women more generally by providing an anonymous, appealing and easily accessible outlet for sex to otherwise violent individuals." Furthermore, in addition to the police reports examined by the researchers, Dutch streetwalking prostitutes were also surveyed, and 95 per cent reported feeling safer within the legal safe space provided by tippelzone. Although these testimonies were anecdotal, when taken together they seem to argue a strong and compelling case for the legalisation of sex work. However, despite these positives, there have been some concerns that the legalisation of prostitution has led to an increase in human trafficking. Some Dutch officials believe that violence in the sex industry has actually escalated since its legalisation, and think that illegal immigration has led to more organised crime that seeks to monopolise prostitution. Countries that are major sources of trafficked persons include Thailand, India, Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania, among others. As a response to this perceived spike in generalised violence, the Dutch authorities are currently attempting to teach prostitutes how to quit the sex trade and find other professions to earn a living, and some brothels in Dutch cities have had their licenses revoked. However, applying those same standards to American society, or even to the rest of western Europe, will be difficult, and even when prostitution is as restricted as it is in the Netherlands, it seems unlikely that any major political party will be able to openly back the concept without risk of provoking extreme controversy from the electorate. However, the data seems to speak for itself, and suggest that, were we able to open our minds to the freedom that legal sex work provides, the benefits for society in general would be startling indeed.

Nicknamed the “City of Joy”, Kolkata, in eastern India, is a city most commonly associated with Mother Teresa, temples and cultural riches. Yet it also has a darker side. It is a major hub for sex trafficking. Located close to the borders with Nepal and Bangladesh, Kolkata is home to the notorious Sonagachi district, the biggest red light district in South Asia, where an estimated 10,000 sex workers ply their trade. But now, away from this area, a new breed of brothel is emerging. Privately owned, they are located in unassuming buildings, and are more discreet and better shielded from law enforcement. Furthermore, more often than not, they deal in minors.  Somewhere, amid the rabbit-warren that is Kolkata, sits the nondescript apartment block where Sadhna, who is now 19, was forcibly prostituted. She is just one of many victims; according to figures from the Indian government, almost 20,000 women and children were victims of human trafficking in India in 2016, although the real figure is believed to be much higher. Coming from neighbouring countries and other Indian states, they are often lured there on the promise of work, only to find there was never a job. Some end up in domestic slavery, performing menial household tasks; others end up sweating in textile factories for hours on end. But a large proportion end up in brothels, held against their will and forced into the sex trade. Sharing her story with Global Citizen and the International Justice Mission, Sadhna explained how she went from a loving - if poor - childhood, to a living hell, after her father died and the family were left destitute. “I felt like I was left all alone to take care of my family,” Sadhna explains. “At age 12 or 13 a girl dreams of her future and her studies, but I couldn’t afford to do that. I would always think how to protect my family or educate my younger sister and take care of my mother.” [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BPIy-ORBbSD/]] Initially working as a housekeeper, Sadhna fell prey to traffickers while doing something all of us have done at one point or another - looking for a job that paid a better wage. While attending what was supposed to be an interview, (where she asked to leave because she felt uncomfortable), she accepted a glass of water; only to wake up lying on the floor a few hours later, naked and disorientated, in a room full of beer bottles and strange men. This was the first time she was raped. She was 14 years old. For the next two months, her body was sold multiple times per day, to men she had never met before, in a room “not even big enough for a single bed”. Sadhna is, understandably reluctant to go too far into the details of her experience, but it is clear it was a painful one: “The customers who visited me at that house didn’t behave very nicely with me. They were so bad I can’t even discuss it now … I felt worthless and couldn’t see any way out of it.” Having been threatened with violence by her madam, running away was not an option: “She told me that two men would be following me, and if I tried to contact anyone she would get my mother and sister killed”, she explained. “Those people were constantly calling me up and threatening me of dire consequences if I didn’t turn up. They even sent men to follow me. I had no other option but to go back to them.” Mercifully, Sadhna’s experience of sexual slavery turned out to be relatively short-lived in comparison to some other women’s ordeals; many women spend years, or even decades, in sexual slavery. After an investigation by the International Justice Mission, police raided the house and her madam was arrested, but the psychological impact had already taken its toll: “I stopped caring about anything in life. I had faced the worst experience of my life and didn’t bother anymore about anything else," Sadhna recounted. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnyfXVl_P3/]] Sadhna bravely testified in court against her madam and is now back in education, and hopes to become a social worker to help other girls and women still in her situation. But the truth is, her place in the sex industry has already been filled, not once, not twice, but many times over. The International Justice Mission claims that private brothels, such as the one she was forced into, are becoming increasingly commonplace, and children’s charity UNICEF believes that two million children are currently being exploited in the sex trade globally. Ultimately, it is a situation that is too horrendous to turn a blind eye to, and yet too complex and widespread to really get a grip on. Traffickers prey on poverty and desperate situations, and as long as these exist, there will be a constant supply of vulnerable women and children to take advantage of. In the meantime, we can learn from the experiences and the bravery of survivors such as Sadhna, empower them as much as possible and pursue traffickers. And hopefully, in doing so, make the world a slightly better place. 

A Ukranian woman chopped off her husband's penis and beheaded him after years of purported domestic abuse.

Identified only as Maria, she tried to cover up her tracks by feeding her husband's penis to dogs in their hometown of Obariv.

The MailOnline reported that the 48-year-old decided to put an end to her suffering on the night of August 23 when her husband Oleksandr, 49, returned from work. She did so by strangling him as he slept.

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Once Oleksandr was dead, Maria beheaded him with an ax before removing his penis with a kitchen knife.

Police said that she was "constantly suffering physical and emotional abuse and did not see another option to end her misery."

After unsuccessfully attempting to chop up the remainder of her husband's body, Maria ran from her house, covered in blood, and was spotted by a neighbor, Nadezhda Opanasiuk.

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In an interview with local media, Opanasiuk said: "Her hands, feet, and clothes were [covered] in blood. She said, 'I am in trouble. I've killed my husband'.

"I did not believe her. I thought they had a quarrel and she might have hit him. I went to see if he needed medical help. When I walked into the room, I saw his mutilated body. The bedsheets were soaked with blood.

I asked her, 'Where's his head?', and she replied, 'There, in the sack'."

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Although understandably shocked by what had happened, Opanasiuk was able to alert authorities, and Maria confessed to her husband's murder at the scene.

Police spokesman Vadim Artiukhovich said: "The suspect confessed in full at the scene. She was charged with murder and taken into custody.

"The woman said that she was constantly suffering physical and emotional abuse and did not see any other option to end her misery.

Neighbours say they, in fact, saw the husband beating her up and chasing her with an ax a lot of times.

However, the woman has never reported the incidents."

A teenage girl set up a fake cosmetics website so that people can report domestic abuse while pretending to shop.

According to the New York Times, domestic abuse has soared worldwide amid the coronavirus lockdowns still ongoing in many countries.

With many people forced to stay at home with their abusers (depending on their respective Covid-19 guidelines) hotlines have been receiving a higher volume of abuse reports.

Uneasy about the alarming stats, one high school student from Poland felt compelled to help.

Krystyna Paszko, 18, launched an "online shop" to ensure that victims and survivors trapped at home with their abusers could have a lifeline to turn to. (For the purpose of protecting the site, we will not be naming it in this article.)

In fact, the ingenious and potentially life-saving idea even bagged her the European Union prize, which included an award of €10,000 ($12,100).

In an interview with the BBC, Paszko explained: "Firstly, I heard about the increase in domestic violence cases during the pandemic.

"Then I heard about a French initiative, where people go to the pharmacy and ask for a special mask that lets the pharmacist know they are a victim of domestic violence. I thought it was a brilliant idea, so I came up with the idea of selling cosmetics."

The fake cosmetics retailer was set up last April by a then 17-year-old Paszko. The premise behind the website is that survivors are able to discreetly arrange for help.

When a "buyer" requests a skin cream, it's a psychologist rather than a sales assistant who responds. The psychologist then asks how long their "skin problems" have been going on.

If the "buyer" orders an item and leaves an address, this allows the authorities to visit the home of the victim and their abuser.

Paszko wrote about the retailer on her Facebook and received an unexpected amount of interest.

"I thought it would only be for my friends, and friends of friends. I thought I would help maybe one person or two, but the shares on Facebook were big and it became really popular," she told the BBC.

Paszko then got in touch with the Women's Rights Center, a Polish NGO, and asked for assistance. This paved the way for psychologists and lawyers to work with the website.

Since it was launched nearly a year ago, more than 350 people have gotten in touch with the website. Most of the victims and survivors are under the age of 40, and about 10% are male.

"More younger women prefer to write on Facebook than to call on the phone, it's more natural for younger women to use Facebook chat. Most of the men writing to us are teenagers," Paszko said.

Featured image credit: Rafael Ben-Ari / Alamy Stock Photo