PhD student Noëlle Demole is currently completing her research project on sex trafficking of women in Europe. For her, this research project is one part of a much wider interest in women’s health and safety, which has guided her throughout her career.
“I’ve been interested, ever since I was young, in talking with vulnerable people,” says Demole, when asked about her motivation. “I was that kind of child and always wanted to make a change for the better.”
A lifelong pursuit
At the age of 19, Demole founded Shere Khan Youth Protection, an NGO currently supporting the education of more than 600 homeless children, adolescents, and young adults in India. This work led to her interacting with vulnerable young people and learning more about their struggles. She was inspired to pursue further research on this subject and began a Master’s degree at Columbia University in New-York City.
Her Master’s research project focused on the reintegration of former FARC members in Colombia. Through interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, including former FARC combatants, she also uncovered the exploitation of women within their own military groups. What particularly caught her attention was the number of current and former female soldiers who experienced daily sexual abuse, and the prevalence of sex trafficking within groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This led Demole to suspect that these issues were more prevalent than many countries are willing to acknowledge.
“I want to add more literature to this topic, because I think it’s a forgotten topic,” she explains. “It's very difficult, very dark, and it's something that people don't really dare to look into or talk about.”
To understand the extent of sex trafficking more, she chose to progress to a PhD.
“Before applying at the University of Cambridge, I looked for a supervisor for 2 years, anywhere in the world, to help me with this. The University of Cambridge was one of the only ones that answered positively: my supervisor, Loraine, said she wanted to supervise me. So, that was the greatest news, but it was not easy to even find somebody that wanted to look at this topic.”
Luring in women
For her PhD on sex trafficking, Demole is focusing on the UK and Switzerland, as she sees a scarcity of research on sex trafficking in Western Europe. Often, it seemed as if researchers have assumed that this activity would not be carried out in these economically advanced countries. Demole also focuses specifically on women between the ages of 18 and 35. She has conducted a series of interviews, both with trafficking victims and accompanying support staff.
“It's a discussion,” Demole explains. “And as a researcher, I need answers. But I still have to be human. I have to be sensitive, I have to be patient, I have to have a welcoming body language. I cannot force somebody to answer questions.”
The research project is still ongoing, but there are already some important findings, many of which Demole found disturbing. She has uncovered a common coercion method she calls the ‘Loverboy Method’, in which men from sex trafficking groups become women’s boyfriends. When women are accustomed to these men in their life, they are more easily lured into trafficking rings.
“Many women have this dream of love from a young age,” says Demole. “We dream about having a man to protect us. And this desire to find somebody is so strong that you get trapped with any man being nice to you and taking you out. And so many vulnerable girls, who don't know about the topic at all, fall into this trap.”
The drawn-out nature of this method has made it extremely difficult to spot. Demole describes the interviews and subsequent data analysis as severely affecting her mental health.
“This world can be so beautiful,” she says. “But behind the stage, that same world is so, so dark. I knew that, but I didn't know how horrifically dark it is. And it's everywhere, and that's what shocked me most about this project.”
Thankfully, Demole describes the university as a supportive environment. Her supervisor provided extensive support and helped her find a specialist.
“Being able to speak openly and regularly about what I was experiencing helped me process my trauma, put the right coping mechanisms in place, and help me finish this PhD,” she recalls. “Support is available, and this issue can be addressed with the right resources.”
She remains determined to complete this research, to bring sex trafficking in Europe to people’s attention.
Fortunately, authorities in many countries, including the UK and Switzerland, are more and more aware of the Loverboy Method and of sex trafficking as a global crime.
Tackling sex trafficking
Demole hopes that her research project, once complete, will be a catalyst for more research into sex trafficking and women’s safety in Europe. She has already identified areas for further research, including sex trafficking of children and trafficked women who become traffickers themselves.
Based on the existing findings, Demole argues that current sentence lengths are not sufficiently deterring sex trafficking, and that there is a need for far harsher penalties — ideally life sentences for those convicted of such crimes, which is still not the case in many countries around the world. Switzerland grants ‘specialist’ status to PhD holders, allowing them to provide advisory services for criminal trials on their expertise, which is something she is planning to do in the near future.
Demole is already applying her findings to her wider work. She is currently an Associate Director at EFG Bank, working within Group Financial Crime Compliance. Compliance, among many other functions, focuses on the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing, helping protect the financial system by identifying and preventing criminal groups from opening bank accounts with illicit funds, including proceeds linked to sex trafficking networks. All of her professional and academic work is part of an effort to raise public awareness of women’s safety, particularly aspects that have been overlooked.
“We should be aware of the worst that is happening on this earth,” says Demole. “I think it's important that we don’t close our eyes and avoid hearing difficult things. This ethical awareness, understanding that underworld, is important.”