Jammed True Stories: of human trafficking: Trafficked in China, originally from Bolivia

THE JAMMED TRUE STORIES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING BLOG

The aim of this blog is to uncover and present TRUE STORIES of Human Trafficking and debt bondage in all its forms. We are seeking stories of victims "jammed" in slavery, of perpetrators of this crime, stories of efforts to help victims; of individuals moving to change policy, and stories of misguided efforts to help that have done further damage … in the hope that the telling of these personal stories will highlight the reality and complexity of this heinous practice, and shed light on the need for action on many fronts. Our vision is to finance this project through sponsorship and donations so that we can make the films freely available to everyone, everywhere for advocacy, campaigning, education and calls to action.

Following on from the feature film THE JAMMED we intend to select a series of stories from those posted on this blog, and produce a dramatised series of short stories

THE JAMMED is a feature film inspired by court transcripts about sex slavery and deportation in Australia - (www.thejammed.com). The number of women and children trafficked into sexual servitude (slavery) and debt bondage is impossible to quantify, but it is estimated that between 700,000 to 4 million people are trafficked around the world annually for sexual exploitation.

This is a call for your stories.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Trafficked in China, originally from Bolivia

Testimony of Patricia
From her home in an impoverished village in rural Bolivia, the prospect of quick riches as an escort girl proved impossible to resist for 23-year-old Patricia Suarez.A neighbor working for a Hong Kong gang suggested the trip, promising the youngmother an escape from part-time work as a domestic servant that paid only US $50 (HK $387) a week.Desperate for money, the former university student left her two-month old baby with her mother and six brothers and sisters—unaware that she was heading for a nightmare trapped in a sleazy underworld.Ms. Suarez speaks no English or Chinese. When she landed at Kai Tak airport last May she was met by another Bolivian woman who whisked her to a flat run by her pimp, known as Jacky. From there she was sent out to clients who had contacted the escort agency through adverts in pornographic magazines. At one point she became pregnant and an abortion was arranged by the gang.She was arrested on November 22, charged with robbery and spent four months in Tai Lim prison. She was acquitted yesterday and is due to be deported within days. Ms. Suarez has no idea where to find the flat in which she was kept, so she cannot collect her clothes. She will fly home with $5,000 in her bag. It is a far cry from the fortune she dreamed of.- Patricia, trafficked in China, originally from BoliviaSpecial Thanks to: Protection ProjectWebsite: http://www.protectionproject.org
Original Source: Oliver Poole. “Young Mother’s Dream of Fast Fortune Ended in Nightmare.”
South China Morning Post (11 March 1997).