The story in the shadows.
What’s her story?
There’s a life out there with a story unable to be told. There is fear that turns inside with darkness all around. A girl stuck in a world where she just doesn’t belong. How did she get there and where is she from? She may be to young to even know. There’s this life out there that is shaped with the sin of others. Would you want to live in a hole of darkness because that is where she often finds herself.
Where did it begin- on a bus, a train, a boat or in the back of a truck maybe? Was she lied to and ended up somewhere different than she thought? What began the journey of a horrid nightmare that some women now call life. Was she kidnapped and trapped with not enough strength to get away? Did her family sell her because they had no money or the money was more important than their own daughter? Maybe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and met the wrong person. Or maybe it was happening between the walls of her own home. What is her story?
Her Story Matters!
So many stories, each one different from the next. A girl married at a young age but still having to work as a sex slave. Can a relationship be healthy if you force your wife to sell her body to other men? This same girl who struggled with having to be a sex slave also had 5 children of her own. Out of those five children she had to sell three of them. Her husband’s parents took the other two when she supposedly went ‘crazy’. Although her name can’t be mentioned this is a true story of someone’s life. She is now in a safe home and after having the opportunity to personally meet her, I can tell you she is one of the nicest young ladies. She is still working through a lot in her life and quite shy but when she smiles, it could light up a room.
A girl that is twenty-two who was also rescued from sex slavery has now found her place at a safe home. Her story is different from the last and also from the next. She has been pregnant twice in her life- both times by her own father. Neither of the babies made it, which can be one of the hardest tragedies to overcome. In a way, I think this is a blessing. As sad as it is, the pain and the hurt that would come to both the mother and the children may have been even harder. When we arrived, they said she had been struggling with Depression. Since we’ve been around her these past few weeks, her joy and love has been overflowing and she has improved tremendously. She has the biggest heart and loves to help the other girls in any way that she can. Her smile and laugh could brighten anyone’s day.
One of the newest girls at the safe house just arrived maybe a week ago. Just being around her you can see the trauma she’s struggling with. She is in the new phase of trying to get adjusted to her new surroundings. I’m not sure how old she is but at one time she was married and had children. She then went to work in another town and sometime after that she was found naked in the woods. A group found her and took her to another house and we’re just glad she has made it to the safe house. She is having a hard time adjusting and it truly is heartbreaking. Because of the trauma in her past, she does not communicate very well and usually rocks back and forth without talking to anyone. One of the only times I have seen her smile was when I turned on worship music in her native language and she began to sing along. She once had a life. The question is, when did it turn into this? I pray she begins to see God’s love through the workers at this house and she’s able to find joy and happiness.
What about the woman whose husband died and now she is left with two children to provide for but no money? This mom is desperate to do whatever it takes to take care of her family. As a child, she was sexually abused and she knows what men will do for her body. What choice does she have? She has no other way to provide but she knows she can sell her own body so she decides that for one month, she will sell her body and in return have enough money to provide one whole year for her family. After the first couple days, the pimp that owns that section of street she was standing on had one of his men come out and get her. He then proceeded to tell her how she will pay every cent back to him and with interest because she has been stealing from him by infringing on his “territory.” She has now been living this life and selling her body for over three years and is nowhere close to paying him off yet. Something she thought would only be temporary in order to provide for her children turned into this new life. She is trapped.
Now let’s talk about someone a little closer to home to a lot of us. God has given me the opportunity to meet and build a friendship with this amazing woman. She lives in the states and now travels around the world to help girls and raise awareness for those like the ones I talked about above. She didn’t solely go into this line of work just because of a passion she has for this area, but trust me the passion is there. She does this because it is also her story. When she was younger, a family member would sell her or trade her for sex. If he needed something on his car fixed or money, he would let his friends come over and take advantage of her to then get whatever it was that he wanted. This happened not only to her but others in her family. This was going on at a time before sex trafficking was even named. How amazing is it that she would take all of the hurt she experienced to reach out and help others? She has the biggest heart and is such an inspiration to me.
The story of the sex trafficked is not an easy one to accept. So many people put it on a back burner because they don’t want to believe it’s a real issue or they truly don’t know it exists. But it does and it is happening all around the world. In 2013, approximately 800,000 people were trafficked across international borders. Off these, 80% are women or girls and 50% are minors. The global sex trade is the fastest growing form of commerce, worth $32 billion annually. Victims of sex trafficking acquire adverse physical and psychological health conditions and social disadvantages. Victims may face legal barriers, where the traffickers will confiscate or sequester all forms of immigration and citizenry documentation. Language barriers, fear, limited knowledge and lack of money are other barriers that women and girls may face to prevent them from escaping the sex trafficking ring. Health care professionals can work to improve the screening, identification and assistance of victims of sex trafficking in a clinical setting and help these women and girls access legal and social services (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). More recent studies says, “15-35 men will buy her body in the next twelve hours. Try not to think about her trauma today”.
The point is, this is truly a serious problem. Girls as young as 9 years old are sold as sex slaves. There’s a myth that started in Africa that says, men with HIV can be cured by having sex with a virgin and because of this, child prostitution has increased exponentially. These girls were trafficked and many of them also contracted HIV. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death around the world for women ages 11-35. The younger the girl, the less developed her body is to try and fight off the virus. Sexual violence can also increase the chances of a women getting HIV. It is normal for sexual violence to occur with girls involved in sex trafficking as it is not likely for them to be cared for in a nice way. Women represent 51% of the people living with HIV. So, not only do these girls have to live a life of being mistreated in so many different ways but they are also finding themselves suffering from diseases that will eventually kill them when they can’t find help. Next time you hear about sex trafficking, I pray you don’t just turn your head but ask God what you can do to help. Maybe God will call you to go to a different country to help or maybe it’ll be through a small donation to an organization that helps with sex trafficking or prayers for the victims. But please don’t sit there and act like it is not happening. In fact, it may be closer to your home than you think so be aware and pray for those who are truly lost.
It is real and all of these stories above are true stories- stories of women who don’t have a choice. They are trapped in this place of hurt and torture. Help be the voice for those who can’t use their own. Speak up for the unheard because their stories matter.
“In Him was life. And the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:4-5.
If you would like more information you can also go to http://serve4justie.org.
