News
Only a Child
She was only 11 and sold by her mother to the trafficker, she ended up in the United States of America, the home of the "American Dream". Her story does not start with the prince arriving in his carriage to take her away but does end happily. The trafficker brought her to the US with the intension's of keeping her in slavery and controlling her life. While other 11 year olds do not understand the concept of slavery she was living it; while other 11 year olds were outside playing with their friends and being children she was locked in a house cleaning, cooking and being a sex slave to the trafficker and his family.
Her story ends with her being rescued but not before her childhood was ripped from her and she became a teenage mother with many psychological scars and a great amount of anger and outrage at how she was treated.
It has been a long struggle; she is not a victim but a survivor and today lives the life of a typical American teenager. Going to the beauty shop and having her hair done, listening to loud rock-and-roll music and liking to have as many clothes as possible so she looks just right. However, she was robbed of the carefree childhood that was her right as a human being.
Today her traffickers are in prison and she is free to pursue her life as is her right. With loving caretakers, prosecutors, advocates and law enforcement she has broken the chains of slavery.
The Trap of Trafficking
She came from Central America with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and was here on a tourist visa to work and send money back home to her family. The poverty in her country did not allow her to make the money to support her family and she was willing to work as a maid even with her education.
Once in place with the family she was to work for she was enslaved and not allowed to leave. She asked permission to use the bathroom and when allowed had to go outside to the pool bathroom. She slept on the poxy pebble in the pool area and was attacked by mosquitoes which left scars all over her body. The traffickers allowed her to eat once a week so she was forced to wrap small portions of food in plastic to be retrieved later from the garbage can.
She was allowed to attend church once a week on the premise she obtain the name and address of each of the church memebers. One week her trafficker advised her he would be a few minutes late and she took the opportunity to speak with the pastor and tell him her situation. They planned her escape for the next Sunday.
When arriving at the church the following Sunday she was whisked away out the back of the church to safety. When the trafficker arrived to pick her up and she was not there they went looking for her at each of the addresses and finally found her. They made such a commotion that the police were called and the advocate realized that this was more than a domestic call, she was saved from her bonds of slavery.
Today she is happily married and owns her own business here in the United States and is living that "American Dream" with the exception she still afraid to go out, you see her traffickers left this country and are on the loose.
Note: To see the latest and past articles on Human Trafficking go to: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/human_trafficking
