This testimony is not from a movie ...

"I missed my sister. She came to the United States with the idea of working and helping the family. I´ve always admired her for her decision and I opted for doing the same thing. When I saw the man that offered her a job, I also I asked him for one. Back then, I was 13 years old and I was very frightened, but I wanted to follow my sister’s steps. It was not easy for me to move abroad, because I didn’t want to distance myself from my mother, but I had already made the decision. They facilitated everything for me. When I arrived at this side of the border, the man that I believed to be my savior raped me and told me that, from now on, this was how my life was going to be. I worked as a masseuse, but behind the room where the massages took place was a private room where I would have to comply with clients’ desires. The prettiest girls could choose their clients, but the uglier ones, like me, had to accept every client. I had to stay working in order to pay my transportation debts from Mexico. But the debt rose each day".

This testimony is not from a movie, it is a real case. If you believed that slavery ended at the end of the 19th century, you were wrong. Today, there are more slaves than ever before. Approximately 27 million people were victims of slavery in 2007. Nearly 900,000 people, per year, are involved in human trafficking worldwide. The majority are women and children, a third of which are under age. Approximately 50,000 people, per year, enter the United States to carry out forced jobs or to become sexual slaves. Of that amount, 10,000 come from Latin America.

Sexual slavery is at its peak of popularity and, along with the illegal commerce of weapons, is the second largest criminal industry in the world (drug trafficking is the first), producing approximately 7 billion dollars annually. It has developed into an organized crime and, with victims trafficked around the world, has become an international business with no limits. It is intimately linked with document fraud, money laundering, and drug and contraband commerce.

If you suspect or know someone who is being subjected to this living hell, inform them that authorities can protect them. Victims can receive a year’s worth of benefits, such as shelter, food and clothing, economic aid, training in job-seeking, health, psychological, and legal care, and the possibility that they may qualify for the T visa of immigration. In addition, within a couple of years they would be able to bring their children and families over with the T3 visa. Listed below is the number to call. It is not a police line, but rather a number that will directly connect the caller to agents specialized in human trafficking.

You should act immediately. Remember that you can also get in touch with professional organizations in seek of support and treatment, like Casa de la Familia. Follow this link to learn more about this non-profit Organization.

- Dr. Ana Nogales