It had been a busy year, and
although school had closed for the summer, there would be no fun in the sun for Nancy, because she needed a summer job. Next year she would be a high school
senior. Being a senior meant many activities, and activities required MONEY!
Nancy was 17 years old and lived
in a quiet neighborhood located in Rancho Cucamonga with her mother, Chloe, and two brothers, Sidney and Marcus, who were ages 15 and 13 respectively. They were “almost” a middle-class family, except her mother had to work two jobs
just to make ends meet. Nancy often
dreamed of a better life for herself and her family, but it seemed like things
would never get any better.
After seeing a job
announcement advertising summer positions for teens 15-18 years of age, Nancy finalized an existing resume she wanted have for an interview the
next day at the Alta Loma Sheraton. A company outside of Cucamonga was seeking youth to work as tour guides for special summer
events and all hires were also to attend training in Alta Loma. This training requirement could possibly lessen the chance of her mother giving Nancy
permission. If her mother said “yes,”
she would need to arrive to the hotel early as only the first 50 teens would be
granted an interview.
When Chloe came home from work,
Nancy did not waste any time in telling her mother about her resume, the summer
job interview and the required training in Alta Loma. Her mother didn't really want to say “yes,”
but knew she needed Nancy’s help with earning extra funds for next year’s
senior high school activities. After
remembering that her cousin, who lived in Alta Loma could check on Nancy while
she was in the city, Chloe finally approved and shifted her attention to fixing
dinner.
Nancy’s excitement caused her to
sleep light that night. She arose early
the next morning before the alarm clock buzzed.
After a quick shower, she fixed a cute hairdo, and found an appropriate
outfit all before 7:00 a.m. Since she
was early, Chloe had time to drop Nancy off at the Sheraton on her way to her workplace in the surrounding area.
Once at the interview site, Nancy
greeted a few classmates who had already arrived. The first 50 applicants were
taken by elevator to an underground interview room. She made sure her cell phone was in her purse
so she could call her mother after the interview. Once in the interview room, which was
furnished with tables and chairs, the applicants were told to find a seat. With eagerness, one of the teen boys blurted
out, “When are you going to start the interviews?” A dark burly man with a strange accent
stepped forward and told the teen to shut up, and without notice he felt the man’s
back hand across his face—causing his lower lip to bleed. It quickly became evident that things were
not going as anticipated. Here were 50 helpless teens trapped underground with no way out and their fate in the hands
of total strangers. Each was subjected
to a body frisk, which resulted in all identification cards, check cards,
money, jewelry and cell phones being confiscated. Afterwards, Nancy and the other girls were
led by a female, who looked American, to a different room while the teen boys
remained in the interview room with the dark burly man. Suddenly, they heard a
loud voice over the intercom say the following, “We would like to acknowledge
the new employees added to our company today. Welcome aboard. You are now our property!”
For some unknown reason, Nancy
was separated from the other girls, blindfolded, drugged and transported to a
location outside of the state. When the
drugs wore off, she was told she was in New York City and introduced to a woman
who gave her a bag of skimpy outfits for her first job that night. She had been
sold to a well-known slave lord in NYC, and one of “his girls,” Kat [a nickname for Kathryn], was to
show her the ropes and tell her what she had to do each night to make
money. They were unthinkable things and a virgin’s worst nightmare. Night after night, Nancy’s thoughts about
home, her mother and brothers grew stronger and she wondered what they must be
thinking. She had just vanished from the
interview in Alta Loma and had no way to contact her family or friends.
One fateful night, unbeknownst to
Nancy, the silent prayers she had been offering in her heart since her
kidnapping were going to be answered.
Her client, dressed in extraordinary attire, was unlike the other men,
who considered her a sex toy. It turned out that this man actually wanted to
help free her from her slavery and get her home safely. He introduced himself as Mr. Barnaba. After giving her his business card along with
some important instructions, he told her he would meet with her again after
arrangements for her departure were finalized.
Now full of hope, Nancy couldn’t wait to see Mr. Barnaba a second time
because she would soon be free again and home with her family.
THIS IS ONLY A SHORT STORY, but
there are many men, women and children, who are not as fortunate as Nancy to be
freed from this Modern-day Slavery. Unfortunately, the stories of most
present-day victims have a different and not so happy ending.
Trafficking in Persons Report 2013
You're probably asking: "What can I do to
help stop the atrocity of ‘Modern-day
Slavery’? You can lend your
support by doing the following: educating
ourselves and sharing information with others, offering fervent and consistent prayers, and giving financial gifts. Please visit
the websites below for more information:
http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/
Freedom
is something we all hold dear, but it becomes more precious as the threat of it
draws near. #VES
