Moua* met a Chinese man, Chang,* via Facebook. Two days later, he invited her to go to China to meet him. Chang arranged for a taxi to pick her up at home. When she got to Ban Vuoc, he asked a man to come to pick her up. She didn’t want to go with that man because she didn’t know him. She was then told that to go back home, she would need to pay 6 million VND (~$250 USD) for the taxi. She didn’t have the money, so she followed the man to China. That night, she met Chang who wanted her to become his wife but she didn’t agree. Chang then locked her up in the car for 2 days and gave her to another Chinese man. This man brought her to a building and confined her to the 2nd floor. When he wasn’t paying attention, she jumped down from the 2nd floor to escape and got injured. She then met an old man, who helped her get to the Chinese police station. Eventually, her father came to pick her up at the border gate. Moua is a resident of the Lao Cai Compassion House. She is receiving vocational training in sewing techniques at a tailor shop.
*Name changed for confidentiality
Kim Ngan Nguyen & Thanh Pham, Lao Cai Compassion House Staff
