LONDON – Three women have been freed after spending 30 years held captive in a south London home, including one woman believed to have spent her entire life in domestic slavery, police said Thursday.
London's Metropolitan Police announced the rescues after two people — a man and a woman, both 67 — were arrested on suspicion of forced labor and domestic servitude. The suspects were released on bail.
The arrests were part of a slavery investigation launched after one of the women contacted a charity last month to say she was being held against her will, along with two others.
'Highly traumatized'
The charity went to the police, and the women — a 69-year-old Malaysian, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old Briton — were freed on Oct. 25.
Kevin Hyland, head of the Metropolitan Police's human trafficking unit, said the women are "highly traumatized," having had "no real exposure to the outside world" for the past 30 years. "Trying to find out exactly what has happened over three decades will understandably take some time."
Police initially said they did not believe any of the victims were related, but later said the relationship between the three is part of the investigation.
The police also said there is no evidence to suggest anything of a sexual nature but said the investigation is ongoing.
'Absolutely terrified'
The revelations raised questions about how the women's ordeal began and why it endured for so long. The women — whose names have not been released — are now safe and have been working with trauma experts, Hyland said.
