Eight years ago, Maria left Caracas, Venezuela, motivated by decrease opportunities and the hope of finishing her veterinary studies. At just 21 years old, she accepted an offer of knowledge that promised work in Trinidad and Tobago, cleaning houses, waiting tables. It seemed to be a life buoy, a way to support herself and her family at home.
She did not know when she entered a well -thrown trap.
“I believed in the promise of a better future,” recalls Maria, “but I found myself trapped in a nightmare that I could not escape.”
Forced in work and sexual exploitation, she lived in fear, rarely seeing sunlight, her freedom disabled.
Maria found stability and strength, determined to transform her story into resilience and healing.
Captive held for months
After eight months in captivity, Maria managed to escape. It was not the end of his difficulties, but the beginning of a slow and determined trip to healing.
Now aged 29, she lives in Trinidad and Tobago with her partner and their two young children, aged one and five. Although his days are now filled with school races and shared meals, the trauma persists. She smiles when she talks about it, but her voice brings the weight of everything she survived.
“It was not easy,” she said, her trembling voice. “But, I build a new life, step by step. »»
Back in Venezuela, her family knows nothing about what they have endured. Shame and fear kept it silent. She has seen her parents and siblings for the last time for seven years. Although it is deeply lacking, the weight of what happened is always too heavy to put in words.
Maria draws the strength of her two young children, now aged one and five, while she rebuilt her life.
Fighting human trafficking
Like many survivors of human trafficking, Maria had to rebuild more than her physical security. Emotional wounds are deep and the stigma surrounding traffic makes recovery even more difficult.
The International Migration Organization (Iom) was by his side, offering psychosocial support, helping him find safe accommodation and providing the tools to rebuild his life.
“We are working tirelessly to combat trafficking in human beings,” said Deery Jordan-Whiskey, assistant to the reporting project in Trinidad and Tobago. “Our commitment is to provide critical assistance to survivors while pleading for stronger policies to prevent exploitation and ensure justice.”
ODD 8: Ensure decent work
- Take immediate measures to eradicate forced work, modern slavery and human trafficking
- Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure environments for all workers
- Maintain economic growth per capita and at least seven% gross growth in the domestic product per year the least developed countries
- Reach higher economic productivity levels thanks to diversification, technology and innovation
- Improve the global efficiency of consumption and production resources
- Decouple economic growth with environmental degradation
World unemployment should fall below pre-pale levels, but not in low-income countries
Maria is one of the many women in the region who have been attracted to false promises and found themselves in operating situations.
She knows there is a long road to come, but she refuses to be defined by her past.
“I want other women to know that they are not alone. There is life after that, there is strength. ”
Its history highlights the wider crisis in the trafficking of human beings, where women and girls are affected in a disproportionate way. According to the 2024 UNODC World Report on the Translation of People52% of victims in Central America and the Caribbean are girls under the age of 18, and 62% are victims of trafficking in sexual exploitation.
Behind each statistic is a human being, a girl, a sister, a mother, trying to survive and recover.
However, the figures cannot capture the courage it takes to start again.
“I am living proof that you can rebuild your life,” says Maria, her stable voice now. “It takes time, but it’s possible.”
* The name has been modified to protect their identity
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
