Yes, my main goal is to let victims know that help is available. So, if there’s anybody out there who is suffering, they need to call for help because those people at the other side of the phone are those that will help them and get them rescued. Most of the time a victim has been threatened so much with the law, the police and immigration and they are unable to speak out because there is nobody to trust. You don’t know who to talk to. Because, in my case, I suffered for two years. I suffered isolation, I suffered hunger in the land of plenty.
[…]
Here, in Minnesota where people are struggling to lose weight, I was not gaining weight, even in pregnancy. I was suffering. I couldn’t eat whatever I craved as a pregnant woman, and I was working while somebody else was taking the money, my trafficker and it’s the same for so many victims, they work while somebody is taking their money. Either they work as a sex worker, or they work as a labour workers working somewhere. In my own case I was brought here and somebody else was taking the money from me. I couldn’t wear right clothes, during winter I didn’t even have winter jackets in Minnesota. And I was depressed, I didn’t even know that I was depressed to the point that I could not even recognize myself in the mirror anymore, I just saw a strange woman staring back at me each time I look in the mirror. And I thought that death was the only way out. I almost committee suicide. But I thank God that help came at the point that I didn’t expect.
[…]
I got here through a work visa, because I’m a journalist from Nigeria and I covered education and international new and I was here to cover the United Nations in 1005 when the organisation was celebrating its 50th anniversary and general assembly. So, when I came it was in New York but then I had been married to the person that became my trafficker traditionally in my country. Because in Nigeria there are 3 types of marriage, there is the traditional marriage, there is the Christian marriage and the Muslim marriage. So, I did a traditionally marriage where both families agreed that we were husband and wife.
[…]
I had not met him, yes. But he was living in Minnesota and my job brought me to New York. So, he invited me to Minnesota to meet him face to face before I went back home. But when I came, he didn’t let me go back. He encouraged me to stay, he promised my family that he would change my work visa to a spousal visa, and since there was already and agreement between the families, I was encouraged to stay, not knowing that I was agreeing to an event that almost cost me my life.
[…]
We first of all we lived in Ramsay and Ramsay is a bush, because there are bushes all over the place and you don’t have access to public transportation. I didn’t know how to drive so I was trapped in the house. I only went out whenever he wanted me to go out.
[…]
And sometimes even when we’d go to the store for clothes, we’d go just as the store was about to close, because when we get into the store, not so long I will be hearing them announcing that all customers should come to the register because the store will close in 10 minutes. And then I will rush and pick whatever I could grab, and we would leave the store. I didn’t know what my size of was. In the store, I concluded that America don’t produce my size because I always went for… had time to get know the stores.
And it’s the same for many victims. They are followed, they, you know are accompanied all the time. You can’t break off because somebody is always watching you and guiding you. Even in the eyes of the public It might not seem so, it might look normal, but the person that is suffering knows that it is not normal, but you cannot speak out because you’ve lost your sense of trust for anyone, you cannot speak to anyone.
[…]
The luck I had was that there was a public health nurse that used to come to the house. So, she was the one who helped me to get out. Actually, when I was pregnant, he had taken me to weekly appointments and at the week appointments I was asked if I wanted a public health nurse and I said yes, and she was coming home to check me during pregnancy, and after the birth of the baby, I encouraged her to continue to come. And even though he was asking me, ‘when will she stop coming, when will she stop coming’? because that was like an outsider.
[…]
But I kept encouraging her to come because I saw that she was concerned for me, she cared about how I fared and when the time came to jump, even though I didn’t know what I was jumping in to, because he had been threatening with the police and immigration and to take the child away from me. And I was so afraid also that the child might die because his health deteriorated so much that we were going from clinic to hospital, he wasn’t growing.
[…]
So, you know, he actually called the police to make false allegations against me so that I could go to jail and then be deported. And I was afraid that the child might die to because he wouldn’t take care of the child. So, I called the public health nurse for help and then she referred me to Alexandra House, a battered women’s shelter because obviously there is not shelter for victims of human trafficking. But if you are a woman, the battered women’s shelter will take you. And they took me, and it was at the battered woman’s shelter that I began to receive help so that they referred me into mental health therapy because I was depressed, and they also referred me for immigration help. I was referred to a support group for immigrant women and refugees and it was at that group that I got connected to Civil Society. And I am grateful to Civil Society today because erm I am watching my weight because I am eating well, I’m faring well and I’m so glad my child…
[…]
Thanks to Civil Society for that support. Because Civil Society got me an immigration lawyer at no cost to me and a petition was filed with the US CIS and then I was granted status to remain and work here and take care of my child and I’m grateful. We got help also with house and the healing transitional housing gave us you know 2-bedroom apartment to live in comfortably and they cared for us. And now my son is growing, he’s healthy, he starts first grade this fall.
[…]
He’s been doing well, he’s been growing. Before we got to the shelter he used to be resentful towards people, he doesn’t go with people, he doesn’t relate with people because we were both isolated. The only person he could relate with was me, but now, he is relating with other people, he’s going to school and relating with people, he’s doing so well and so grateful for the help we got.
[…]
I hope that the government will keep working hard to prosecute even though there is only 1 victim involved. Because if they don’t prosecute, even if the trafficked is just one person, there is a tendency for the person to traffick in another person and torture another person.
[…]
The person is still here in this State but he doesn’t have contact with us.
[…]
Actually, when we were with him, I didn’t see him with any weapon like guns. What he was using as a weapon against me was the law. And now the truth is open to the eyes of the law, so he can’t use that as a weapon against me anymore, rather it has turned against him. So, I don’t see him, the child doesn’t see him.
[…]
It’s a struggle that erm I have, I wish that my son could have a relationship with his father because I come from a home of unity, love and I grew up in a home where I had opportunity to relate with my father and my mother. But it’s unfortunate that my son doesn’t have that kind of caring father, but right now, I can say that he has a male model in his life that he can relate with and it’s been doing so well. I am so grateful to God for that male role model in his life, because he’s involved in school activities, he’s always there for him and he’s happy with him.
[…]
My speaking out in my community is a struggle but I don’t mind going through that struggle if only 1 life will be saved. And you know, I see that there is a need because when my story came out there have been all kinds of negative comments on the internet from my community about me, blaming me for the torture endured, saying it was my fault. But it boiled down to lack of education in this area and that is why I am speaking out, you know in order to educate my community and other communities that are not educated in this area. So that we can know that it is wrong for someone to torture another person and that we should not be blaming the victims, rather you should be giving help to the victims and the police need to work with organisations like Civil society, because I could have gone to jail. The police that came out, they were not friendly with me, they were not willing to work with me, I hope that they will take the time. It’s a lot more work for you to want to really listen to somebody and really find out the truth and a victim will not speak to you unless the victim has some confidence and some trust in you. Even when a victim comes into contact with police, already I have been victimised with the police. The police were the weapon my trafficker was using against me. So, I didn’t have the courage to even tell the police a lot and they were not willing to take the time, because it’s a pain to really take the time and find out what the truth is, like Civil Society is doing. And I hope that they can work well with Civil Society and really find out about the truth, investigate further and let the victim know that you are there for the victim. Because if you don’t show that you are there for the victim, the victim will never open up to you.
