The following article is from the worldvision.org website. WorldVision is a Christian organization dedicated to helping the poor escape poverty and oppression. Thankfully, this kind of thing won't happen in HK, but it is a frequent occurence in over countries around the world.

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When 15-year-old Mai* accepted an offer to work as a housemaid in Bangkok, Thailand, she didn’t know she’d end up trapped in a nightmare of forced labor and exploitation.

February 2011

By Cecil Laguardia and Peter Warski, World Vision communications.

Mai is now learning basic skills at a weaving shop. But she'll never forget the ordeal she faced as a forced laborer for over a year.
Photo: ©2010 Vanhlee Lattana/World Vision

In 2009, Mai* of southern Laos was approached by a work recruiter who offered her a job as a housemaid in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city.

 

At face value, it seemed like a great opportunity. The recruiter told Mai that she’d be paid about $100 U.S. for the position — money she could save up while spending time in a big, exciting city.

“All I wanted was to earn income, help my family, and be able to save money for my education,” says Mai. So her family helped her raise funds for the recruitment fee, and she crossed the border into Thailand.

 

Walking into a trap

But it didn’t take long for Mai to realize that the so-called “job” wasn’t at all what she was led to believe.

Along with two other Laotian girls, she was required to perform domestic chores at the residence of a Thai family — such as cleaning and mopping floors and feeding the family dogs. She was never paid a cent of the compensation she was promised.

“I cried every day for one year,” Mai recalls. “I was homesick and scared.”

A break didn’t come until one day when the lady living at the residence forgot to close the door on her way out — leaving an opportunity for Mai and the two other girls to escape.

A taxi driver took them to a police station. Soon thereafter, the apartment where they were trapped was raided.

‘We were treated like prisoners’

The terror is over, but the memories and lessons of it are not.

“My biggest lesson is that it is never safe for young girls to venture in a faraway place,” says Mai. “We were treated like prisoners and were not allowed to go anywhere. We worked all day. We were even beaten at times if we committed mistakes.”

Mai shares a laugh with one of the trainers at the weaving shop where she now learns.
Photo: ©2010 Vanhlee Lattana/World Vision

Reflecting on what good could possibly come from such a tragic experience, she adds, “It taught me how dangerous it is to go to another country, especially if you do not know anything. I am sharing my story to others for them to be forewarned.”

A time of recovery

With the help of a regional World Vision project aimed at fighting child trafficking, Mai was eventually reunited with her family in Laos. Now, she’s learning how to make bags and acquiring other basic skills at a weaving shop that is providing a second chance for survivors of exploitation like her.

“I want to learn new skills so I can move on,” she says resolutely. “I love making bags and would love to learn more.”

Sadly, Mai’s story is reflective of a much bigger global crisis — one in which some 1.2 million children are trafficked each year for forced labor. The practice occurs in every country in the world, including the United States, and represents a modern-day slave trade that World Vision is committed to ending.

*Name has been changed to protect the girl’s identity and safety.

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