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Flying Colors

I’ve written periodically about this young woman, one of our trafficking survivors at our shelter in Lao Cai Province. She is a very smart and determined young woman. Her story is full of tragedy, though unfortunately not atypical. A member of an ethnic minority group near the Chinese border, at age 16 she was tricked by her friend and sold to a couple in China who bought her for their son. Soon after she gave birth to a daughter, they sold her to work as forced labor in a coat factory.

The opportunity to escape finally came when she was left alone, but she had to make the agonizing, split-second decision to leave her daughter behind, as the mother-in-law kept her at all times. Upon escaping, she also rescued the neighbor girl who was in a similar situation. Eventually, they were brought to our shelter, where they could live in a safe environment and receive education, art therapy, healthcare, life skills, and most importantly, love. I met her two weeks after she arrived, and was skeptical when she said her dream was to become a doctor. We were unsure of the quality of her education before she was trafficked, and she was already at least two years behind in school. Frankly, I underestimated her; last year she was the top science and math student in her class. We were so nervous when she took her university entrance exams, but I’m happy to report that she passed with flying colors!! Together with our donors and Lao Cai government partners, we provided the opportunities and support, but ultimately she did this herself. She’s currently in university studying pharmacology, making her way towards becoming a doctor! She is driven by her passion for medicine and a desire to help others, and I don’t doubt that she’ll continue to succeed.

Mimi Vu

News
Diane Truong

Co-Founder Diep N. Vuong Awarded Prestigious Henley & Partners Global Citizen Award

Congrats to our president, Diep Vuong, on winning THE HENLEY & PARTNERS GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD!

From Diep, “Human trafficking is the major issue of our time, representing the ugly side of globalization. It is all-pervasive and yet largely ignored. It means a great deal to my team and me to have this acknowledgment from a global firm such as Henley & Partners, and we hope that this year’s award will help drive widespread awareness about the work that we are doing on the ground with our partners. The more we recognize the painful realities of our world, the more effective we can be in addressing and correcting them. Human trafficking has become a global epidemic, yet the people who abhor it and want it to end far outnumber those perpetuating it. Let us find each other and work together to turn the tide.”

See press release

GEMS
Pals User

Perseverance

I’m currently going to school [studying Business English at a college in Ho Chi Minh City] and working. At first, when I came to Ho Chi Minh City, I did not know anyone, so I had to figure out what kind of part-time jobs I qualified for and how much they paid. I have learned a lot from working and found that Pacific Links Foundation has taught me many things that I find very useful now which I found unrealistic when I was in high school. I could not imagine that life in Ho Chi Minh City could be so hard; my sister had to sell her wedding ring to give me 8 million VND to pay for my school fees and housing. There was a time when I did not call home because I did not want my parents to send money (by borrowing it from someone or selling things). After finishing high school, my mother asked me to find work near home, but I wanted to go to school. I want to prove to my mother that I chose the right path and I believe that I can do it.

My family’s economic circumstances are more difficult than before. My mother suffers from arthritis and her legs ache every time she walks a lot so she could no longer sell things two times a day as before. My mother’s legs hurt so much that each month she goes to the hospital, which costs 1,500,000 VND per month. She continues to sell sandwiches in the morning to earn money, which my family depends on, about 70,000 VND each day. There were many months when my mother refused to go to the hospital because she was afraid of the cost. I would like to thank you for the support I have received in the past 5 years to help me continue to go to school.

Academic Scholarship Recipient

FACT
Pals User

Naivety

I have a friend who was a trafficking victim. Previously, she worked in an unstable, low-paying job in an industrial zone near Ho Chi Minh City. Someone told her that if she went to China, she could get a more stable and better-paying job. She was young and naïve so when a friend introduced her to an opportunity, she took it. She was tricked and taken to Hainan Island, sold by the friend as a bride to a family. Her husband was deaf and disabled; he also had a mental illness and usually disappeared at night. Her mother-in-law treated her badly and often beat her.

She gave birth to a girl, who was killed by her husband’s ex-wife. This incident caused her to have a mental breakdown; she stripped off her clothes, ran away, and tried to escape but was captured by her husband and his family. After that, the friend who sold her contacted her and said s/he could help return her home.

She believed the friend, her life was already full of hardship. However, that friend once again sold her to another family in Guangzhou or somewhere else in Mainland China. There, she was sold again for a very low price – about 9 or 10 million VND. In this 3rd family, she got married and gave birth to a boy and a girl. After years, with the help of many people, she returned home and contacted her family.

Factory Manager

GEMS
Pals User

Better Future

I was a student in Pacific Links Foundation’s Academic Scholarships Program for 4 years.

Before I received the scholarship, I faced a lot of difficulties. My family was so poor. My father was the main breadwinner for my family. He had to work very hard to pay for my younger brother and me to continue going to school.

We lived with our grandparents and also took care of them. My grandma was sick so every month we had to buy medicine for her.

To share the burden, I would help my mother peel longans after school. We could earn 20,000 to 50,000 VND (~$1 to $2 USD) if we worked all day. That made my studies more difficult. But I never once thought that I should give up my studies because I believed that education was the only way I could get out of poverty.

The scholarship changed my life. Pacific Links Foundation helped pay for my studies and gave me the opportunity to attend Summer Camp. I learned so much at Summer Camp.

I learned how to protect myself from human trafficking. I practiced my public speaking, leadership, and teamwork skills. Through constant practice, I became more confident in myself.

Most importantly, I was able to pursue my dream. I am studying law at Saigon University. I would not be here today without the support of the Academic Scholarships Program.

Now I know I must try my best in my studies and take part in more activities at my school. I also hope to give back by volunteering at Summer Camp next year.

Finally, I want to give thanks to Pacific Links Foundation and the Academic Scholarships Program because they gave me a chance at a better life. I hope the program expands and prospers to give more girls the future they deserve through education.

Former Pacific Links Foundation’s Academic Scholarship Recipient

Reintegration
Pals User

A Second Chance

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

Reintegration
Pals User

Scars

When I was 12 years old, I dropped out of school because my parents constantly fought, so each person went their separate way. I had to live with my foster mother, who lives far away. When I was nearly 14 years old, my friend’s acquaintance invited us to work far, so we followed this person who led us to the Hanoi bus station and assigned us to a middle-aged woman and said that this woman would take care of us.

This woman picked us up on a bus that led us very far. We passed many different vehicles, then we came to one big house (later I discovered that we had crossed over to China). She made us become prostitutes, and anyone who refused was beaten. We were imprisoned with over 20 other women who had also refused and were severely beaten.

Every time there was an opportunity for us to find a way to escape, we tried to take advantage of it. The third time we tried, however, the owners hacked off one girl’s head and made us stay in the room with the bloody corpse all night. After that incident, no one dared to try to escape anymore…

Every time we tried to escape, we got caught and were beaten, had cigarettes burned onto our skin, and were tattooed with the owner’s code on our hands.

I was a prostitute for almost a year before the Chinese police raided and dismantled the establishment, rescued us from prostitution, and repatriated us back home.

Currently, I am studying sewing, but my eyes are very poor and I often have headaches. Sometimes I experience moments of blindness and can’t see clearly, probably due to previous injuries sustained from the times I tried to escape and was hit on my head and eyes. Therefore, my intention now is to learn how to be a hairdresser and wash hair to lessen the use of my eyes and mathematical calculations.

This year, I’ll turn 16!

L., Trafficking Survivor in Resident at Pacific Links Foundation’s Lao Cai Compassion House, Translated by Pacific Links Foundation Team

Reintegration
Pals User

A Returnee’s Story

At 6 years old, M. already knew how to cook. At 7 years old, she learned how to embroider. As orphans, M. and her siblings went their separate ways, following anyone who could raise them. M. lived with her relatives. She knew how to do laborious work from a young age but was regularly beaten until her ears bled.

At 15 years old, M. was tricked into crossing the border and sold as a bride to an old Chinese man. After 2 months, while her husband was intoxicated, M. and a neighbor in the same situation jumped from the apartment window and ran away. Her friend dislocated her leg when she jumped. The two-faced difficulties in the following days hiding, only daring to find and eat melons in the middle of the night to satisfy their hunger. When they were completely exhausted and hopeless, both were lucky to come across a group of construction workers who took them to the police station…

Currently, M. is a member of our Lao Cai Compassion House. For the first time, she is learning how to read and write. She is also learning how to sew. M. dreams of becoming a good seamstress and opening up her own store!

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Translated by Pacific Links Foundation Team

Outreach
Pals User

Do you know anyone who was trafficked?

While outreaching at Bac Ha Market in Lào Cai Province to spread awareness about and to prevent human trafficking, we asked a simple question: Do you know anyone who was trafficked?
 
A huge crowd of people surrounded us and, one by one, told us how their family members and friends went to China and never came back or have not been able to get in touch with them.
 
A 78-year-old woman’s married daughter was unhappy with her husband, left and went to China to seek a better life 5 years ago and hasn’t returned since.
 
A 20-year-old man’s younger sister’s boyfriend invited her to go to the city several months ago and never returned.
 
A 30-year-old woman’s older sister lived in poverty, so she went to China to look for work and left her 5-year-old child behind. Four years later, no one still has any information about her or has heard from her.
 
A 20-year-old man’s older sister was sick and went back and forth between Vietnam and China to seek treatment. Each time she returned to Vietnam, she became sicker. About a year ago, she went to China and hasn’t come back home.
One thread connects these stories: people want to seek better lives for themselves and their families.
 
We suspect that these family members and friends may have been trafficked. Sometimes human trafficking doesn’t involve being kidnapped. Sometimes people place trust or believe in the wrong people, and traffickers use that to their advantage. And in the remote, mountainous region of Vietnam, it’s easy to get lost or unknowingly cross the border to China. For this reason, we hold outreach events to raise awareness about protecting yourself and your community from being exploited.
Christina Phương Chi Bùi
Reintegration
Pals User

Planting the Seed

Ta Van, Sapa, is a poetic village hidden under a field of pine trees, whose beauty rivals the visions from my own dreams. The melodious sound of birdsongs and the murmuring of the stream fill the everyday current of life, as the villagers weave fabric as long as our ethnic tradition. In recent years, deforestation has laid waste on the land and destroyed the beauty that nature has graciously given to us. Our beautiful and peaceful life slowly diminished before us. The natural disasters occurred successively: The torrential downpours, a violent rockslide, and then a terrible landslide swept half of my village and family members away. The villagers who remained helped my family build a temporary shelter next to the stream. With a family of four girls and no land to work on, my parents left the village to go look for work. They left me, the eldest of four and fifteen years old, in charge of the house.

One day, a stranger came to my village and told me that he would give me money to buy some new clothes and shoes.  I had never left the village before meeting that stranger.  He took me to a faraway place where I was suddenly pushed into a hotel and was forced to have sex with Chinese men I had never met. I have never experienced so much pain, both physically and emotionally. One night, I escaped through the bathroom window and ran outside. Luckily, a kind-hearted stranger helped me with my escape.

A year passed before I finally found my way back to my village. I was in a state of shock and disbelief when I was greeted with disdain from my own community.  Rumors had spread in my absence that I had been working as a prostitute in China. The old wounds were still healing when family members and neighbors lacerated me with new cuts filled with discrimination and scorn.  Though I dreamt of taking my own life, I woke up when I thought about my younger sisters and how much they needed me.

Upon hearing of my story, a social worker came by to talk to me and offered guidance. I was given a chance to stay at Pacific Links Foundation’s Compassion House in Lao Cai, Vietnam.  This was where I was offered food, shelter, healthcare, lessons in life skills development, general studies, and English lessons, and vocational training in the tourism sector. Slowly, I could feel my psychological wounds beginning to heal. With the help of everyone around me these last two years at the Compassion House, I have found renewed meaning and value in life. I believe that there are still many beautiful things to see.

After a fruitful two years in the Lao Cai Compassion House, LTM returned home to share her experience with her village. Nguyễn Tường Long, the Deputy Head of the Department of Social Vices Prevention (DSVP) in Lao Cai, shares his perspective:

– Me: Would you like to return home? 

– LTM: Yes, I am really eager to return home!

– Me: To do what? 

– LTM: To meet my lovely siblings and mother who has worked so hard to support her family.

After meeting with her family, LTM bravely met with her childhood friends from her village. She courageously told them about the dark days and months that she spent in China.  She told them about the profound price that she has had to pay for believing in the false promises and lies of crooked people. Her story quickly spread throughout the entire village.  But instead of derision and ridicule, LTM’s tale of caution now summoned a call to action. Concerned parents throughout the village rushed home to warn their young daughters against listening to false promises that could put them in LTM’s position.

Pacific Links Foundation’s love, faith, and confidence in LTM has helped with her healing and transformation into a beautiful young lady who now serves as the village’s premier tour guide for international visitors.

When asked what her future dreams are, LTM replied, “I only possess two small dreams:  (1) I hope that every tourist that visits will help us plant one flower or tree, so that our environmental conservation efforts will keep the village vibrantly green and beautiful; (2) I hope that the younger generation in my village will be given the opportunity to learn English.

LMA, A Trafficking Survivor, and Nguyễn Tường Long