Each trafficking survivor that we meet leaves a mark. More than 20 years of separation, we reunited P. with her family. Her reunion renews the meaning of our work.
P., born in 1970, is a Hmong woman from Lai Chau Province. Her parents passed away. She was tricked and sold to marry a stranger in China over 20 years ago. Last December, she was rescued by the Chinese police and returned to Vietnam.
P. faced many difficulties reintegrating as she did not know how to speak Vietnamese and cried every day thinking about home. P. wanted to go home, but she could not remember where her family lived. Everyone at Pacific Links Foundation’s Compassion House tried to comfort her and helped her feel like she was at home, but she still felt homesick, especially when alone. The year she was trafficked to China, her sister had just turned 15. After many days of searching, we finally found her family.
The day P. reunited with her sister, she learned that her sister had a nearly 20 years old son. He only knew of P. through his mother’s stories. Feeling touched and overwhelmed, her sister said, “I never thought I would see my sister again! She had been gone for so long. I appreciate all that you have done! How lucky I am to see her again and bring my sister home with me!”
P. shared: “I am delighted I found my family. No more crying!”
Thanh Pham, Reintegration Program Coordinator, Pacific Links Foundation
