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