London, Ont., is considered a hub for human trafficking. Its location along the 401 corridor, between Detroit and Toronto, makes the city both a source and destination for sex trafficking.

The dark underbelly of London’s sex trafficking weaves through the city’s strip clubs, east-end motels and massage parlours. It spreads across the streets of downtown and into houses and apartments.

It’s a crime that can hide in plain sight—women swept up and bound by invisible chains to what is often called modern-day slavery.

They are sold, abused, beaten and raped, forced into “the game” by pimps. The perpetrators can be individual actors, family members, or more commonly, part of larger organized crime. It’s a violent web that often contains pimps, recruiters, enforcers and transporters.

Even when women manage to escape, there’s a long road to recovery ahead. Caroline Pugh-Roberts knows this all too well.

She was trafficked for eight years.