Amelia Tiganus

Amelia Tiganus (also Țigănuș; born 31 March 1984 in Galați) is a Romanian-Spanish writer and abolitionist activist. She is a survivor of trafficking.

She was moved to Spain when she was sold to a pimp at age 17. After five years of being sexually exploited, from 2002 to 2007, she managed to escape. She has resided in the Basque Country.

She is the author of the book ''The Revolt of the Whores. From victim to activist'' (2021).

Life
Tiganus grew up in Romania. She was gang raped on the way to school. Without support, the violations continued and became systematic. At the age of 13, she was forced to abandon her studies. At 17 and a half years old she was sold to a Spanish pimp for 300 euros. She was initially prostituted in Alicante, being transferred to more than 40 brothels, which she calls concentration camps, for more than five years.

In 2007, she escaped, and since then, she has lived in the Basque Country.

Starting in 2015, on the web portal Feminicidio.net, she coordinated the prostitution consumption prevention project for three years, expanding awareness and reflection workshops. She participated in conferences organized both in Spain and Latin America, giving lectures about her experiences and encouraging speeches on the abolition of prostitution. She is a member of EHMA – Euskal Herriko Mugimendu Abolizionista (Abolitionist Movement of the Basque Country).

In September 2021, Tiganus published the book ''The Revolt of the Whores. From victim to activist'', in which, beyond narrating her own experience, she points out the political and social implications and vindicates feminism as a framework for analysis.