More than freedom…
These stories aren’t easy to read.
Some of these will absolutely break your heart. Because there is nothing good about sexual slavery. It’s dark and full of lies. It demeans, abuses, and manipulates, leaving brokenness, hopelessness, and heartache behind.
But there is hope, and it is why Project Rescue exists.
Southern Asia
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Leena
Leena is a precious little girl. Her mother ran away when she was a baby. Her father killed himself. Leena's grandmother didn't want to and couldn’t afford to care for her, so she decided to traffic her.
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Sonia
Sonia was once an innocent little girl with a bright future, but this was stripped from her when her mother died, leaving a family who physically and verbally abused her. After running away at only 13 years old, Sonia was sold into prostitution…
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Josiah
Josiah's mother was five months pregnant, HIV positive, and living in a red-light district. After giving birth to Josiah, she felt unable to care for her son and made the difficult decision to give him up….
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Rashmi
Before arriving at Project Rescue, Rashmi had wallowed in neglect and abuse. Her mother died when Rashmi was 7, leaving the child alone to beg in the streets and scavenge for food in garbage heaps. That was her life — until a woman with crooked teeth and a saggy throat adopted her into a brothel.
Africa
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Kamar
She lives in an apartment used for prostitution and her everyday life is under the control of others. Although she was afraid to talk, little by little we gained her trust, and she told us her story. She’s
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Abiba
When Abiba was sixteen years old, her mother died and her father kicked her out of her home. Alone and afraid, a family friend told her she could get a job if she traveled with him to Northern Africa. Abiba was forced into sexual slavery, beaten and raped continually.
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Munira
She was beaten badly by her father, who sold her to a family that had her as a slave in their home. She never went to school or out in the street. She had to work all day and received no pay. She was treated like a dog and heard insults all day long. After this, she also suffered sexual abuse.
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Revi
Revi knew what to expect every day. Revi's mother was a prostitute and would leave Revi at a store entryway every day and go off to "work". Revi would beg for money and wait for her mother to return. Night after night, she waited while her mother was abused for money.
Latin America
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Sarsa
One of the men in the backseat blindfolded her and put duct tape on her mouth. For two hours the car zigzagged until it finally came to a halt. The two men dragged her up a flight of stairs before ripping the duct tape and blindfold from her face.
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Ashanti
Ashanti and her brother Monte had never attended school. The money their parents earned from the kiosk was just enough to pay their rent and feed the family. School fees were out of the question.
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Ranya
Her father was verbally and physically abusive. Not a day went by when Ranya’s mom was not physically or emotionally tortured in her own home. One day when Ranya was only eight months old, the abuse escalated, and Ranya’s father kicked her mother out of the home, holding Ranya captive inside.
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Elana
Elana is 5 years old. She was born in a brothel but because of a bad marriage her mother walked out of it and after some years married another man who was her customer and wanted her to shift with him to his village
Europe
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Adah
Adah was born to a very poor family. She is 28 years old and has a four-year-old little boy. A friend introduced her to Mahmek, a man who would give her work. But Mahmek was a pimp who forced Adah into sexual slavery
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Anna
Anna was coerced into prostitution by her boyfriend who promised to save up money so they could get married and buy a home together, but she would need to help him get out of debt first. He told her that if she was willing to work in the red-light district just once or twice, his debt would be gone in no time, and they could start saving for their happily ever after.
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Nuria
Nuria is 21 years old. Her father threw her out onto the streets when she was just 15 years old. Since then she has gone through a lot including bad and violent relationships, leading to heartache and several abortions. This then took her to consuming drugs and alcohol.
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Sarai
She was desperate to feed her young children and protect them from the life she was forced to live. Sarai's mother had been prostituted for many years, and her daughter was destined for the same. At the age of 16, Sarai went to "work" with her mother at the brothel.
Middle East
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Jude
One day Jude's father never came back and Jude realized she had no way to make money to provide for her brothers. She sent each of the boys to the street to beg and she herself wandered the city begging for help.
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Meena
Meena didn't have a home anymore. War between two terrorist groups had driven her and her family away but with little hope of where they might go. Meena had traveled with her mother and younger brother to a refugee camp with little personal belongings.
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Basant
When her father would tell her how beautiful she was, she didn't know that this beauty would mean her father would fetch a higher price when he sold her. Basant was told she was to go work for a man and woman she had never met before, and that she was to do whatever they asked.
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Raneen
Raneen had worked in this brothel for what felt like her whole life. Her madame used drugs to keep her girls under control and the effects of these drugs only brought Raneen lower. She was so sick and rarely slept until one day her body had had enough and shut down.
Asia Pacific
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Prim
At 14 years old, Prim was at a high-risk of become a sex slave, coming off the streets in an area plagued with prostitution. But instead Prim was brought to a Project Rescue home. But she was so anxious and upset that she would not go to school. She had to be encouraged daily to eat, change clothes, and brush her teeth.
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Shaina
Shaina came to Happy Horizon's Children Ranch as a teenager who had endured years of abuse and sexual assault from her own father. Her mother knew what was happening but didn’t try to step in for fear that her husband would leave her alone to care for their four children. Shaina's mother didn’t go to the police for the same reason.
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Lanfen
We met four-year-old Lanfen and her two-year-old brother in a red light area. On the streets, these young children are at high risk of being taken in by brothels and raised until they are at the age to serve as sex slaves. These two were living with their grandmother as the rest of their family served in the trafficking districts in neighboring cities.
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Dana
Dana’s young life changed drastically after her mother died. Besides caring for her two younger brothers, she was required to spend her days cooking, collecting water and firewood, and keeping the family’s hovel in order.
Disclosure: All names, photos, and exact locations have been changed for the safety and security of the survivors and our staff