How One Person’s Intuition Helped Me Escape Trafficking
What does it mean to rescue someone from human trafficking? It means to save someone’s life. It may mean stepping out of your comfort zone and choosing to act instead of walking away, or it may be as simple as making one phone call to the National Human Trafficking Hotline because something looks wrong. While I was being trafficked, there were many times when onlookers walked away, but after months of encountering passive sympathizers, a hero finally stepped forward and saved my life.
Someone who walked away
One day, I jumped out of my trafficker’s truck after enduring an onslaught of threats and vile comments, and ran as fast as I could to the nearest business which happened to be an auto parts store. My trafficker turned his truck around to follow me, but I ran across the other lane of traffic and into the store, leaving him in the congestion of traffic. I entered the store in a state of panic and out of breath, and the salesclerk standing inside the door was startled by my entrance. He asked if I was OK and what I needed. My body acted before my brain could decide to jump from the vehicle, so I stood there breathing heavily and not speaking at all. In my mind, I was weighing whether I should say something to this man and risk what my trafficker would do to me if I screamed, “No I’m not OK!”
Before I knew it, my trafficker caught up with me and came through the doors as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening. In a friendly voice he said, “There you are! What are you doing? Are you ready to go?” and smiled brightly at the salesclerk who was looking between us trying to figure out what was going on. With my trafficker’s hand gripped tightly on the back of my neck, I was frozen in fear at what he would do to me, my children, and my loved ones if I screamed like I so desperately wanted. My trafficker led me toward the door when the salesclerk cautiously asked, “Is everything OK here?” My trafficker casually replied yes as he guided me out to his truck.
I have thought about that salesclerk hundreds of times. What did he think was happening? Why did he not act? Did he not want to help me? I often wonder why he didn’t write down the truck’s license plate and make a simple phone call to the police. The truth is, most people respond this way because they’re caught off-guard and don’t think it’s their business, or they simply don’t want to get involved or don’t know what to do. I don’t blame the clerk for not acting because I understand why he didn’t, but how I wish he would have.
Someone who acted
Several months later, my trafficker implied that if I were to secure financing for his semi-truck with his employer, pay him $6,000, and promise to never speak a word about what he had done, he would consider letting me go. I know this sounds ridiculous now, but at the time, I was so desperate that I clung to his every word and prayed he meant it. So, my trafficker helped schedule an appointment with his boss, and I was set to meet him on a Tuesday at 7 a.m. in a IHOP restaurant.
On the morning of my meeting, I rehearsed what my trafficker told me to say and prayed all the way to the restaurant that I would be successful. I felt my life depended on it. I could tell right away his boss was skeptical of my story, as I began to explain that I was a friend of his employee trying to secure financing for a truck. The man listened intently, but in his eyes, I could tell he doubted what I was saying. I panicked on the inside, thinking that I was blowing it and worrying about what my trafficker would do to me if I failed. After listening to my memorized speech, the man looked at me kindly, leaned forward, and quietly said, “What’s really going on here?” I was stunned. How did he see through me so quickly? I didn’t know what to say so I remained silent. He then asked again, “Are you OK? Something just doesn’t add up here.”
Despite my attempts to stop it, tears started sliding down my cheeks, and I felt myself let down the wall I had built to keep all my emotions inside. I can’t explain how, but I just knew that I could trust this man. I knew that he was safe and that I could be honest with him. Besides, I didn’t think it would do any good to continue lying to him, because he obviously could see right through my cover story. I whispered through my tears that I wasn’t OK and that my abusive boyfriend (his employee) was forcing me to do this. I couldn’t admit to a total stranger the entire truth of my reality. I could barely admit it to myself. But with a tiny bit of information, this man made up his mind that he was going to help me.
I truly believe that because this man took action on that day, I am here alive to tell my story. I couldn’t get out on my own. I was too chained up in my mind by my trafficker’s threats and blackmail. I was too afraid of what he would do if I tried to escape. But having someone on my side meant that I could finally get away. This man is and will always be my hero.
