Holly Smith & Barbara Amaya
Human Trafficking in the United States is seen from many view points; those who use and sell the victims of trafficking and those survivors or people who are against the trafficking, in order to stop this crime they try to retell their stories. Many of these victims were taken away from a very young age and years ago before laws were even established. However, within a couple years and many victims of human trafficking survived and spoke out the dreams of Holly and Barbara happened.The United States has passed many laws that have cost the government millions of dollars, for example a law passed in 2003 (PROTECT Act). (Cullen: 10) As well as, thirty-three states that now have enforcement to stop human trafficking. Sometimes all the effort one organization, or one person puts in is still not enough but the United States does not have sufficient amounts of money to help human trafficking more than we already are. As well as, the British were the first to construct a law against human slavery in 1807. Then the United States were influenced by the law and made one of their own in 1820. Holly and Barbara are two women who survived trafficking and wrote articles of their experiences and hopes for the future, in order to educate others.
Holly was a very young girl from Ocean County, New Jersey. Her trafficker was someone who she thought she trusted moved her around and she was unfamiliar with her surroundings. For all she knew, she could have been in New York, Miami or any other place in the United States. She didn’t know her whereabouts, and she was very afraid that something was going to happen to her if she were to try and leave the place where her traffickers were holding her. She was beat, drugged, abused, and was forced to sleep with more than 60 different men. (Flock:7) She was so young she didn't know what the consequences were going to be by running away from home at age fourteen. Holly was talking to a guy online, thought running away was the solution for her problems and anything occurring during that time but little did she know she was putting herself in the biggest hole of her life. She was exposed to a manipulative pimp he made her go around the streets of Atlantic City in New Jersey. She then was spotted by a police officer and these were her words that night-- "The following night an officer on the street recognized me as being underage and arrested me. Although I was soon recognized to be a victim, the specialized aftercare needed for a trafficking victim did not yet exist. The journey toward healing was a long and bumpy road, indeed." Today she advocates for stronger trafficking laws and will keep retelling her story over and over until her word gets across.
Barbara Amaya was a caucasian women that was abused by her own family members. Having that sick trauma in her head at the age of twelve she decided to run away but she apart from Holly ran without knowing where she was going to go and had no money or anyone she knew who would support her through this. Little did she know running away would be the easiest way of being a predator to those sick minded people. However that is not completely what happened, "Surprisingly it was a couple – a man and a woman – who found me on the streets of Washington D.C. They took me off of the streets where I was hungry and alone and brought me into their home where they fed me and seemed to care for me. That is, until they initiated me into the world of trafficking." She really thought she was getting help and that the couple would be there for her but in reality they made money from selling her and once they didn't need of her money they simply sold her to another man and it was that easy. She was taken to New York abused, shot, stabbed, raped, kidnapped, trafficked, beaten, addicted to drugs, jailed. The only way out of her depression was drugs and she soon became completely addicted and her addiction was too much for the trafficker to supply he simply got rid of her as well. Barbara expresses her experiences as lessons learned, rather than the negatives, yet, these grouse acts. "I choose to believe that I went through all that I did, so that today I can help others. If I can educate one person or give hope to one victim of trafficking, then I am doing my job and everything I went through was worth it." She is now standing up for people by helping others and educating them, retelling her story can really help many others.
These women were both victims of human trafficking however one was initially physically and emotionally abused by her own family, hence Holly ran away from home in pursuit of happiness, possibility, and a better life. But in reality both of these victims were driving themselves into a trafficking ring that would change their whole life. Holly was fourteen years old when she ran away and started to be trafficked in the state of New Jersey. Barbara was born into abuse and she simply wanted to run away from those family members who instead of showing support took her dignity and soul away. When she ran away is when she became trafficked by a couple and then by a man. Human trafficking is one of the biggest crime in the world and reading survivor stories makes one realize what is actually behind these cities that look picture perfect.
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Bibliography
~ Smith, Holly Austin. "Survival Stories." Richmond Justice Initiative. Red Orange Design, 27 July 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
~ Amaya, Barbara. "Survival Stories." Richmond Justice Initiative. Red Orange Design, 27 July 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
