Trafficked Girl: Abused. Abandoned. Exploited. This Is My Story of Fighting Back

By: Zoe Patterson, Jane Smith

Narrated by: Una Byrne

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Zoe was taken into care at the age of 13, she thought she was finally going to escape from the cruel abuse she had suffered throughout her childhood. Then social services placed her in a residential unit known to be 'a target for prostitution', and suddenly Zoe's life was worse than it had ever been before. 

Abused and ostracized by her mother, humiliated by her father's sexual innuendos, physically assaulted and bullied by her eldest brother, even as a young child Zoe thought she deserved the desperately unhappy life she was living. 

'I've sharpened a knife for you,' her mother told her the first time she noticed angry red wounds on her daughter's arms. And when Zoe didn't kill herself, her mother gave her whisky, which she drank in the hope that it would dull the miserable, aching loneliness of her life. 

One day at school Zoe showed her teacher the livid bruises that were the result of her mother's latest physical assault, and within days she was taken into care. 

Zoe had been at Denver House for just three weeks when an older girl asked if she'd like to go to a party then took her to a house where there were just three men. Zoe was a virgin until that night, when two of the men raped her. Having returned to the residential unit in the early hours of the morning, when she told a member of staff what had happened to her, her social worker made a joke about it, then took her to get the morning-after pill. 

For Zoe, the indifference of the staff at the residential unit seemed like further confirmation of what her mother had always told her - she was worthless. Before long, she realised that the only way to survive in the unit was to go to the 'parties' the older girls were paid to take her to, drink the drinks, smoke the cannabis and try to blank out what was done to her when she was abused, controlled and trafficked around the country. 

No action was taken by the unit's staff or social workers when Zoe asked for their help, and without anyone to support or protect her, the horrific abuse continued for the next few years, even after she left the unit. But in her heart Zoe was always a fighter. This is the harrowing yet uplifting story of how she finally broke free of the abuse and neglect that destroyed her childhood and obtained justice for her years of suffering. 

©2018 Zoe Patterson and Jane Smith (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

very disturbing not for the faint hearted powerful

very powerful story very disturbing and can only truly relate if you gone through similar circumstances and if you anit gone through anything like this...this book certainly gives you am insight to how corrupt the system is

wasn't for me

Not that good ..it was the same thing all the way through I got bored

Amazing read.

Brilliant true story. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't stop listening! Would definitely recommend to all. This person is amazing and I admire her strength and determination.

All I expected and more. Fantastic book.

A very easy read but both interesting and enjoyable. If you enjoy a simple read but informative then this is for you.

Brilliant inspirational story

Oh where can I start this book is really good show how you can change your l8fe around either when you been treated really bad ....
loved it was listing this book with my 15 year old daughter and in times we both was nearly in tears ... Keep your head up Zoe ppl loves you ...

Absolutely a brave soul

Such a sad, worrisome story but amazingly brave!
Makes you reflect, cry and really travel through her emotions

Harrowing

This story needs to be told. It is staggering that horrendous sexual abuse is able to happen while in the care of social services. Who are these people who are social workers?

Zoe is still healing, still angry, still confused. As a result the story is a little confusing. As it is told she seems to have worked it out then not. Yeh! at 8yrs? 10yrs? Of course not. She needs her explanations but we/I don’t. She doesn’t have to explain or justify anything.

She will have helped many. Bless her. I hope she finds complete peace and happiness.

Such as shocking story.

Zoe, is such an amazing person who fought in the most difficult of circumstances.

Very interesting but disturbing

What a disturbing story of how this little girl was let down by the authorities. I have listened to a number of books by women who have suffered at the hands of police and social workers and I just hope now that these people have learnt from all their mistakes in the past. I am so glad that Zoe realized after reading her files that all what happened to her was not her fault and at last she can have peace.

What a woman!

Powerful/ relatable and inspiring!
Would love a conversation with this woman.
Worth a listen/ read, I love survival stories and this is the one I related to the most and I felt inspired by so many words. Awesome. xx