Every sex trafficking victim had a childhood, a family, a home, and a personal history.
These people love. They dream. They want love. They have the same hopes that each one of us has.
Sushma wanted to be a teacher. When I interviewed her in Nepal, she talked excitedly about her favorite teacher who inspired her to draw pictures and write.
Pari talked about how she had wanted to have a family of her own. She described how her family’s farm overlooked the Annapurna Mountain range in Nepal. She described her home as one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Prachi had four brothers and two sisters. She was the third child. Her dream was to have the entire family together. Since they banished her following her trafficking episode, she doubted that this would ever happen. But this dream persisted.
Sanjita had a simple desire – to have someone love her. Nothing more. Just one person.
Maya said she wanted her story to be told to help others. When I describe that there was another trafficking survivor who roamed the hills in Nepal to tell her story, she got very excited. She said, on the spot, this is what I’ll do with the rest of my life.
Zara’s dream was to have her mother forgive her for what she did. When I explained that it wasn’t her fault, she replied, ‘It must have been something in my past that I did to bring this on. It IS my fault.’
Nima said her dream was to find a man who would accept her past and love her anyway.
Rekha said that she just wanted to fear going away. She described that every time she was touched by someone, it sent a shock throughout her entire body.
Mina talked about wanting to eat village food. She described how her mother’s cooking was second to none.
During the time I was in Nepal, I interviewed hundreds of sex trafficking victims. Each one of them had a story to tell. As one of these interviewees stated.
‘I don’t know why these bad things happened to me. Why me? I’ll never know why. I just wish I could have lived a normal life like everyone else. If my story will help even one person from avoiding the hell I experienced, then please tell it. I only wish my story was something else.’
Each of these stories is etched into my memories. I can still see these girls’ faces in my mind.
Each of these stories also has great value. Each of them deserves to be heard.
But this is not enough. If we hear what they have gone through and we don’t do something to stop this from happening, then we are part of the problem.
Enough is enough. It is time for us all to act. My comments include a link for what we can all do.
‘You can choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.’ William Wilberforce
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