My name is Esther. When I was 19, I was trafficked. As a child I was brought up in a really very poor family, sometimes we go to bed hungry. My dad molested me and I was so scared I couldn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want to stain his reputation because he was a deacon in our church, and I thought how could this person be holy at church and then at home he was a monster? At a young age I told myself that I have to get educated and help and get out of poverty and help my siblings.
I applied to work as a singer in Japan, but on the day of our departure they gave me a fake passport and we were instructed that if we say something or tell anyone about their operation, they’re going to kill my family. When we reached to our destination, I was brought to the mafia boss and I was raped. I think they probably tried to ‘test the goods’ that they bought.
I was put in a karaoke club and we were forced to go out to the clients and because I didn’t want to, they would just slap me and kick me until I had to go with a client. And all I could do was cry every night and try to plan a way out.
Eventually we were able to escape, and I was hiding away from Yakuza, which was the Japanese mafia.
Years later, I was fortunate that I was able to come to Australia, I became an accountant and one day one of my clients, I used to go to their home office, I found that they were loving, kind and I found that they were Christian. And I asked if I could do some bible studies with them. Although I had done a lot of self-help before, I just kept going back to my way of thinking and feel of enslavement. It’s only with God I’ve found that inner peace and total freedom. I wish that you can find that too.
Narrative provided by ARtv
