It Doesn't Have to Be This Way

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that modern-day slavery is a thriving, lucrative, global business. There are more slaves alive today than during the entire 400 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Human trafficking generates about $150 billion in profits every year. And 1 in 3 trafficking victims are children.

The statistics are staggering.

For me, it was a single story that moved me through the numbers to a place where I could take action. I heard about Charina* when I joined International Justice Mission. She was one of the first girls we helped rescue in Cebu, Philippines.

Charina was 13 when she was sold for sex.

Her family was very poor, and she had dropped out of school in fourth grade. Her mother was the first one who sold her. For the next couple years, pimps took turns selling her from street corners and seedy piers. They earned extra because she looked so young.

Charina was finally freed from this harsh cycle of violence in 2007. She was addicted to drugs, pregnant and unable to trust the people who wanted to help her. The work of freedom was just beginning.  

My colleagues started meeting regularly with Charina. She needed professional care and a customized plan to meet her unique and complex needs. She needed trauma-focused counseling. She needed to learn how to trust others and to believe in herself once again.

When I first heard her story and saw a photo of Charina—her bright eyes, her small frame—my first reaction was anger. This young woman should never have suffered in the many ways she has.

And that anger is right. It’s not fair.

Charina’s story has illuminated another reality for me, a more hopeful one. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Back in 2007, there were laws on the books against trafficking in the Philippines, but they weren’t being enforced. The trial against the traffickers in Charina’s case took seven years to conclude, even with IJM lawyers providing extra support and constant pressure. But during this time, things have started to change. Trials should not take that long, and today they don’t.

My colleagues in Cebu set out to prove a theory: If laws are enforced, violence will stop. Cebu is living proof that this hypothesis is true. There is now a dedicated antitrafficking police unit and specially-trained government social workers who know how to use the law to protect children. There are shelters and long-term support groups for survivors of sex trafficking. None of this existed back when we first met Charina. After four years of working with police to rescue children and restrain the traffickers, an independent study documented 79% fewer children being sold for sex in metro Cebu.

The implications are staggering.

If you hold the criminals accountable, people will take notice. It will become too risky to traffic children. Other girls won’t ever know the pain Charina once suffered. 

Fast forward 7.5 years from when Charina was rescued in our first undercover operation: Now, she is living on her own, supporting herself and her beautiful son, and she’s a steady role model for other trafficking survivors. Charina is thriving in freedom.  

For most of these years since Charina’s rescue, I’ve been one of many people praying faithfully for her. We’ve prayed for hope and healing for Charina, and for perseverance and justice in the court case. Charina will never know the prayers I prayed for her freedom story, but I’ve been forever changed by the transformation in her life and in her city.  

This month, as we raise awareness about the massive problem of human trafficking, let’s also share the important message of hope. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Tierney Ducharme is the Senior Field Communications Manager for International Justice Mission. IJM protects the poor from violence by partnering with local authorities to rescue victims, restrain criminals, restore survivors, and strengthen justice systems.

*A pseudonym.