The empowering story of Emerald Schur - from human trafficking survivor to chairperson of HopeNow

October marks the EU Anti-Trafficking Day. This month, Ophelia Wu spoke with Michele Mildwater, Founder and Director of HopeNow, and Emerald Schur, Chairperson of the Danish anti-human trafficking NGO, about the power of professional therapy, resilience, and strength.

Photographs: Courtesy of HopeNow

Text: Ophelia Wu

As a volunteer with HopeNow for the past three years, I have been confronted with the darkest aspects of human nature but also the polar opposite. For this article, I interviewed Emerald Schur, the chairperson of HopeNow, and Michele Mildwater, the founder and director.

The world feels increasingly chaotic, yet some forms of suffering are far from new. Human trafficking, one of the darkest realities of our time, persists and has evolved with the rise of the internet and social media. On 18th October 2007, the European Commission established EU Anti-Trafficking Day to honour victims, raise awareness, and strengthen cross-border collaboration.

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” ― Kahlil Gibran

Human trafficking is not a distant horror, and definitely not what you’d see in any Hollywood movies. It happens everywhere, often invisible to the public eye, even in countries like Denmark. Trafficking is notoriously difficult to combat, as transnational crime networks and opportunist individuals exploit people systematically. It is the victims who risk being criminalised rather than the perpetrators, who often remain invisible.

“…transnational crime works continue to develop strategies to exploit men, women and children in multiple areas and are now, with the growth of AI, able to groom recruit and coerce many people at the same time,” Michele tells me.

People often think that trafficking only affects foreign women. There is also a lack of understanding that victims are coerced psychologically and physically and are not free agents with the means to leave the situation. The reality, as Emerald says, is different:

“... it’s happening here, in Denmark. Right now... trafficking doesn’t always look how people imagine."

"People forget that trafficking often involves coercion, manipulation, and control that’s hard to see from the outside. It’s not just about chains — it’s about crime networks and systems exploiting people’s vulnerability and keeping them trapped. It’s more than just physical captivity — it’s psychological, economic, and emotional. What feels most urgent is survivor healing. If we don’t invest in long-term support, people fall through the cracks. Rescue is not the end of the story — it’s the beginning of a long road…”

From childhood in Nigeria to a living nightmare in Denmark

Emerald radiates joy. She dresses in bright colours, cracks jokes with her wicked sense of humour, and lives in a cosy home with her Danish husband and their child. A talented artist, bold advocate, and fluent Danish speaker, she is thriving as a professional at Dansk Industri. You would never guess the pain she has carried.

Emerald was born into poverty in Nigeria and never met her father. After her mother’s death, she lived with her grandmother and never received a formal education. In her youth, she had a child with a man who was violent and abusive. Emerald left him when their son was three years old. On her son’s fourth birthday, she faced an unimaginable horror: his father abducted their son and demanded she pay him ransom money to have access to her son. Vulnerable and desperate, she was persuaded by her mother’s close friend to accept a lucrative job abroad caring for the elderly. Cautious, but desperate to save her son, Emerald agreed. However, on arrival in Denmark, she was forced into sex work. This was the start of her nightmare.

“Honestly, it was pure instinct at first — just survival. There were moments when I didn’t know how I’d make it another day, but something in me refused to let go of hope completely."

"I thought of the people I loved, the version of myself I used to know, and the possibility — no matter how distant — that life could still change. Even when I felt invisible, I held onto the idea that I still mattered, even though I did not see it at the time.”

Shock, trauma, and betrayal brought her close to ending her life, until one evening she met a man through a dating site. What she expected to be a free dinner changed her life. They immediately fell in love. She told him her story; he didn’t judge and recognised her pain.

Emerald recalled that she had recently met a woman as she was working in forced sex work on the streets. This woman had given her her business card and told her, “If you ever need help, get in touch.” That woman was Michele Mildwater from HopeNow.

HopeNow – a lifeline, a road to empowerment and healing

Michele Mildwater founded HopeNow, a grassroots NGO, in 2007. From 2003 to 2006, she developed outreach methods to locate, assist, and identify victims of trafficking under the first Danish National Action Plan.

“After I trained as a teacher and was educated in drama and dance at RADA in the 1970s, I lived in London, assisting vulnerable runaway children and teaching migrant children. I shared a flat with several women who worked as escorts, and I understood the hidden realities of this clandestine industry. After I moved to Denmark, I trained as a trauma therapist with Dr Peter Levine and Dr Diane Poole in a therapy called somatic experiencing. This eclectic background allowed me to develop an innovative methodology for identifying and providing trauma therapy for trafficked people.”

Growing up in Africa, Michele bore witness to the oppressive and racist South African regime. Since 2003 in Denmark, she has documented thousands of cases, focusing mainly on Nigerian women for the first eight years, but later men and LGBTQIA+ people trafficked into forced labour, forced crime and forced sex work. Alongside director Anja Dalhoff, she co-created several documentary films about human trafficking, including Trapped, shown on CNN's Untold Stories, Trafficker, Dancing with Monica, Kidney on Ice, and Affected for Life for the UNODC.

“We try to create an open, supportive environment which respects the cultural background of everyone we meet,” says Michele. “We believe our clients are the captains of their own lives and their innate inner power can regulate their shattered nervous system."

"HopeNow endeavours to integrate multiple forms of therapy to assist our clients in their long-term healing process. Survivors are empowered with tailored support, and the team never tries to rescue, change, or push anyone; rather, they offer guidance and space.”

Survivors of trafficking sometimes want to join HopeNow’s work as peer group workers.

They help build trust with new survivors, many of whom were betrayed and manipulated into their situations. This combination of professionalism, creativity, and empathy allows HopeNow to give survivors the tools to reclaim their lives, skills, and confidence.

Survivors can also advise, become leaders and participate in awareness campaigns and teaching in schools and universities.

The only way out is through

Emerald found a lifeline.

“Michele and the team at HopeNow saw me before I could fully see myself. Their support wasn’t just about paperwork or systems — it was about presence, compassion, and belief. They gave me space to heal at my own pace. Sometimes, just knowing they were there — even in silence — was enough to get me through a hard day. They didn’t rush my process, and they never treated me as if I were broken. With HopeNow, I experienced support at its purest and was inspired by it – enough to join HopeNow.”

Healing, however, was not a linear process. Trauma resurfaced unpredictably.

“…there are a lot of psychological aspects of being trafficked. It doesn’t suddenly end because life gets better… trauma doesn’t just disappear over time. You get lesser and less affected by it. But sometimes you could get triggers, something that would just remind you of something, an event, and then it would just, it would just crush you, you can’t do anything about it.”

Through theatre, art, and bodywork, Emerald discovered her voice and creativity. She held ten solo performances three years ago, telling her story through slam poetry and monologues, giving visibility to hidden voices.

“I want to bring visibility to voices that are still hidden. In Denmark and beyond, survivors of trafficking are too often overlooked or misunderstood. Through HopeNow, I aim to help shift the narrative — not just around what human trafficking looks like, but what recovery and empowerment can look like, too. I want policies to reflect humanity. I want systems to meet people with dignity. And I want other survivors to know their story doesn’t end with pain…Becoming chairperson of HopeNow didn’t happen because I was ‘fixed’ — it happened because I kept showing up for my healing.”

Michele emphasises that emotional healing must be paired with relational healing: “…you come over the event to a point of power and healing, and of course, love, because people don’t really heal from trauma unless they can form healthy relationships with other human beings. And that’s also something that I, as a therapist, I can’t solve, but I can encourage, and I can admire it when it happens.”

How can we help?

Emerald gradually rebuilt trust, stability, and joy, anchored by her family, HopeNow, and her own resilience. Emerald’s journey is living proof that human trafficking is closer than we think. However, with courage, commitment, and compassion, we can help survivors like Emerald transform pain into purpose, resilience, and hope.

Communities, governments, and individuals must cooperate to protect trafficked people and prosecute traffickers. The complexity of human trafficking requires long-term strategic solutions and governments that will provide funding for a diverse group of actors from government organisations, civil society and NGOs.

As Emerald states here, it can start on an individual level by challenging stereotypes, supporting anti-trafficking work and advocating for human rights.

“Start by educating yourself and listening — really listening — to survivors. Support organisations doing the work. Challenge stereotypes when you hear them. And vote for policies that prioritise human rights and social justice. You don’t have to be an expert — you just have to care enough to act.”