A True Story: One Girl’s Stolen Childhood
A work in progress.
Yes, it is happening. Children are being taken away from their homes to work as servants for wealthier people in the promise of a better life.
I grew up in a culture where this was common for parents from remote villages to send their children to live with wealthier families in the city in return for proper schooling, food, and shelter.
I left the place, spent most of my twenties and thirties in a different region and now I go back to my home country every year. Sure, things have changed for the better, but some things haven’t changed that much. Mindsets change much slower than technologies.
The case of using children as transactions is one of them. Sad but true. As an optimist, I see hope, and perhaps, that is the reason I feel compelled to write this story.
I am currently staying in a home with Peggy and Rami (both names changed to protect their identities).
Peggy is 12 years old. She lives in a wealthy home with Rami who is in her late fifties. Peggy was brought to this home to work as a servant. Her school teacher in her village coordinated this arrangement. In exchange for a better life where she can receive a good education and live in the capital city with economic opportunities, she is expected to help…
