An Australian woman has revealed the terrifying moment she was “almost trafficked” in Paris – with the Australian Embassy needing to bring forward her flight home to potentially save her from an unthinkable fate.
Djanaya Hampton, 30, from Perth, had booked a solo, two-week trip to the popular tourist destination in May last year to celebrate her 29th birthday.
Every year, she picks a different bucket list destination, and while she was meant to go to Africa, the accommodation she hoped to stay at was undergoing renovations.
So instead, Ms Hampton chose to celebrate in The City of Light, a place she’d never been before.
She spent the first few days sightseeing, ticking off all the “touristy” spots, including Disneyland.
She saved visiting the iconic Eiffel Tower for the evening before her birthday, when she enjoyed a solo picnic while she waited for the lights to begin to twinkle.
Unbeknown to her, the two “nice” men who sat beside her and introduced themselves would soon become part of the horror that was about to unfold.
“I am usually pretty smart when I solo travel. I don’t tend to stay in the same spot for too long for people to realise that I’m by myself, and especially at night,” Ms Hampton told news.com.au.
“But it was my birthday eve, so I thought I’d sit, have a picnic, pray, say thanks for another year, watch the sun go down and watch the lights on the Eiffel Tower light up.
“I was sitting there for ages because I didn’t realise the sun doesn’t go down for so long.”
By this point it was about 8pm, and that’s when Ms Hampton said two young men came over and sat to the left of her, with one glancing her way and smiling.
“One caught my eye, he was very attractive. He kept turning around and smiling and I smiled back,” she explained.
Ms Hampton said the man, dressed in designer clothing, then came over and started talking to her in French, before she advised him she could only speak English.
Ms Hampton said he began bombarding her with questions in English, including what she was doing in Paris, who she was with, if she was travelling with family, friends or had a boyfriend.
She became suspicious of his questions and told him that her “friend” was back at the hotel. He then told her he was “having a party” at his house that night, and that she should come and bring her friend.
‘Like something out of Taken’
“It was so weird, it felt like something out of [the movie] Taken. But I told myself it was all in my head,” she said.
Ms Hampton said the man pressed her even more, almost begging her to come before she said her “friend” was sick, and that she had planned an early morning of sightseeing.
“He was like, ‘you will meet heaps of people’. I just told him, ‘no, I’m so fine, but thank you anyway’.”
When she got up to leave, he also stood up and said he was going, before grabbing her to take a photograph.
“He lifts me up and grabs me. He’s like, ‘we need a photo together’, and his friend comes around and just starts taking photos on his phone. I put my hand over my face and was like, ‘no, no please don’t’. It was incredibly strange.”
Ms Hampton said he then walked over to the base of the Eiffel Tower where locals were handing out little trinkets and selling items.
‘My heart sank’
“He walked over to one of those guys, gave him money and pointed at me, and that’s when my heart sank. I wasn’t feeling cold before, but suddenly I was freezing.”
Shocked by what she had seen, Ms Hampton stood there waiting for the two men to leave before she made her escape.
But it was far from over.
“As soon as I got up to leave, the guy they were talking to got on the phone. I then Facetimed my best friend – it was about 5am in the morning in Perth – and I told her everything … including how I [regretfully] gave him my Instagram.”
Ms Hampton said the man had asked for her number but she refused, and instead gave her social media handle.
“I didn’t think anything of it, but when I spoke to my friend, I told her I couldn’t believe I did that,” she said, adding she was paranoid he was now going to trace her every step.
She did a few laps around the Eiffel Tower before making her way to a restaurant in the hopes she would lose the man.
Her battery was also low at this point, so she told her friend she would call her back if she needed to talk.
After 40 minutes, Ms Hampton left the restaurant and headed to the train station.
“I got on the train and was like, ‘ah okay, I’m fine’. There was one person in front of me that was sitting the opposite way.”
‘Knew I was in trouble’
However, to her shock, just before the doors closed, the two men she met at the Eiffel Tower also got on the train, along with five other men and two girls – all aged around 25 to 30.
“The friend walked past me and said, ‘yep, she’s here’ in English. Then the friend that was actually talking to me walked past and didn’t say a word to me.
“I was like OK, I am in trouble, I don’t know what to do.”
Ms Hampton immediately called her best friend again, who informed her to get off at the next station.
“I got off at Notre Dame and they all got off and stood at different places around me.”
She found a seat and wedged herself between two people, hoping they could help, but unfortunately, they didn’t speak English.
The Aussie traveller refused to leave the station, given the only exit was through a tunnel, adding it wouldn’t have been a safe move.
“I got on the next train which stopped at every station but mine, and I remember thinking, ‘this is a bad dream’.”
When she sat down, a man sat directly in front of her, “locking eyes and didn’t stop”.
“Another guy sat the other way and kept laughing and asked me, ‘so, not getting off at this stop?’”
A terrified Ms Hampton broke down in tears. She was convinced she wasn’t going to make it to her birthday.
“I just started crying, I didn’t know what else to do at this point,” she recounted.
A desperate Ms Hampton had previously approached a man on the train asking for help, but he too couldn’t speak English.
“He then saw me crying and came back and in Spanish asked me if I was OK.”
Ms Hampton was still on the phone to her friend at this point, who was able to communicate with the man in Spanish. He eventually escorted Ms Hampton off the train and got her into an Uber.
“Through my friend, he told me to get off at the next stop. I asked my friend to ask him if it was safe, because at this point I couldn’t even trust him,” she said.
The man said it wasn’t safe, but he was getting off and that she could get off with him.
“I was like, ‘well, this is my only hope’. I was thinking ‘what if he’s involved’, and began crying even more, and my friend said he was a security guard. It was my only hope at this stage.”
When the doors opened, the pair got off the train.
The man took off his puffer jacket, wrapped it around Ms Hampton and prompted her to stay close to him as he kept his arm around her.
“He said for to me to stay close or they will grab me. I was just bawling my eyes out as I watched them surround us.
“One was behind us, another was in front – I was just like, ‘this is not real, this is not happening’.”
Ms Hampton called an Uber while the man waited with her and stood behind her as she got in the car.
She explained the story to the Uber driver, who informed her she was very lucky she got away, as “not many people do”.
“He said I would have been out of the country by now.”
It was about 11.30pm when Ms Hampton got to her hotel. Understandably, she couldn’t sleep that night, locking all her doors.
The following day, she headed straight to the Australian Embassy to explain what had happened.
“After I gave my statement, the lady at the front desk said, ‘we need to get you home’. She asked for all my flight details to change my booking. She said there’s a high chance I am on the black market and if anyone on there sees me, and sees a chance to take me, they will take me.”
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson told news.com.au the government agency provided consular assistance to an Australian in France.
“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” they said.
Ms Hampton still had about five days left of her trip, but her exit flight was changed to the following day.
She was also given a list of numbers to call if anything was to happen between her leaving and getting to the airport, with the staffer allegedly advising her to cover up to disguise her identity.
Ms Hampton eventually made it back home safely, adding she never thought she’d be in such a situation.
“I think if it wasn’t for watching Taken, I wouldn’t have known the signs,” she said.
“I wouldn’t have thought anything of it … and they would have followed me back to my hotel and who knows what would have happened.”
Taken follows a CIA spy, played by Liam Neeson, who rescues his teenage daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers while holidaying in Paris.
Ms Hampton said she recently explained her story to colleagues, who advised her to share it publicly to help raise awareness in the hopes it could save someone’s life.
“One of the ladies said she would love for me to post it on social media so she can show her daughter that these things can happen to real people and how you need to be mindful of your surroundings,” Ms Hampton said.
Story has gone viral
Since sharing her story on Instagram a week ago, it has attracted over 7 million views and hundreds of comments from women sharing similarly terrifying experiences.
“Paris is really hardcore for young single women. I got grabbed years ago by some guys in a car in Bastille when I was about your age, about to cross a road (it was late and I’d left a nightclub). I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t managed to get away. I’m glad you are OK,” one woman wrote.
Others pointed out it’s not just in Paris, but locations all around the world that people get trafficked.
“As a young single female, I travelled the world on my own (40+ countries) … I have been kidnapped twice, and twice I got away,” one woman alleged.
“I’m not sure I would’ve been so lucky in Europe where human traffickers are far more sophisticated. Glad you are safe. Stay vigilant. You saved yourself – through vigilance. I also recommend taking self-defence classes and carrying pepper spray. Don’t let this ruin your love of adventure.”
A third woman claimed she was “almost taken” in Bali.
“It’s such an orchestrated network that so many are involved! I was in disbelief how well it was managed. We almost got taken in Bali, but we stayed in the club until we got into a cab and lucky enough we didn’t leave the club as they had black vans outside waiting,” she wrote.
‘Hasn’t stopped me from travelling’
Ms Hampton said the incident hasn’t deterred her from travelling, it’s just made her to be even more cautious of her surroundings.
“This experience hasn’t deterred me from solo travelling – I still continued my birthday tradition and have since travelled to the Bahamas on my own,” she told news.com.au.
“However, it has made me even more aware of my surroundings.
“I’ve also received many messages telling me not to travel alone or share my location anymore. While I understand those concerns and will always take sensible precautions, I refuse to let fear dictate how I live my life. My faith has taught me to live with wisdom, not fear, and I won’t let one terrible experience take away my love for travelling.”
Ms Hampton said she hopes sharing her story doesn’t discourage others from travelling, but instead encourages them to recognise the warning signs, trust their instincts, and stay vigilant.
If you feel unsafe overseas
Smartraveller provides advice on consular assistance available to Australians overseas, as well as information on modern slavery and human trafficking, safety advice for women travellers and tips for solo travellers.
DFAT advises Australians overseas who feel unsafe at any time, should prioritise their immediate safety, move to a safe location and contact local emergency services or police. Australians can also contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate or call the 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305.
What is human trafficking?
The United Nations and the Council of Europe reports human trafficking is a lucrative business.
“Trafficking is believed to generate up to $US150 billion (AUD $213 billion) in annual profits. It thus represents a comprehensive security issue, fuelling corruption, irregular migration and terrorism,” it states.
The United Nations identifies human trafficking as a global crime that trades in people and exploits them for profit.
“Some trafficked people might start their journey by being smuggled into a country illegally, not knowing the intention of the trafficker to exploit them, or find themselves deceived, coerced or forced into an exploitative situation later in the process, for example being forced to work for no or very little money to pay for their transportation,” the UN states.
According to Eurostat, in 2024, the number of registered victims of human trafficking across Europe was 9678.
Nearly 63 per cent of the registered victims of human trafficking were women or girls in 2024.
The statistics, released in January 2026, also revealed that in the last six years, there has been a notable increase in the number of registered victims trafficked for forced labour or services.
Human trafficking in Australia
In Australia, exit trafficking reports have jumped more than 100 per cent in a single year, as reports of human trafficking and modern slavery reach an all-time high.
In October last year, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) released figures covering the 2024-25 financial year.
It revealed 420 reports of human trafficking, an increase of 10 per cent from 382 the previous year, equating to an average of one report per day.
This encompassed 118 reports of forced marriage, 84 reports of sexual servitude, 75 reports of exit trafficking and 15 reports of trafficking in persons.
There were no reports of organ trafficking or harbouring, which had less than five reports in the previous year.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider said Australians were more attuned to the indicators of human trafficking.
“What we see from these figures is a trending increase in forced marriage and exit trafficking reports,” Ms Schneider said.
“More than 90 per cent of exit trafficking victims are female, which tells us that women are more vulnerable to this type of exploitation, which occurs when coercion, threats or deception are used to exit, or attempt to exit, an individual from Australia.
“The AFP takes a victim-centric approach to human trafficking investigations, and every report is dealt with carefully and with the victim’s interests and needs front of mind.”