In court, the man denied the charges. His ex-girlfriend was a articulate, assertive type, and he said they had always had an equal relationship. “I never forced her into human trafficking,” he said. The sex work had been her own idea, because she insisted on contributing to the family income. She had come up with the advertisement texts herself, while he watched. He had also hated taking her to clients. He said he did that for safety, but he didn’t wait outside the door. He bought her a device with which he could eavesdrop on whether everything was going well.