Anti-Trafficking
Laboni* stood on the roadside, waiting for her next customer. Whoever approached her could pay as little as $6 to her handler, then sexually abuse her. Never did she think this would become her life. Yet, at only 15 years old, traffickers exploited her situation and trapped her into living the unthinkable.
Girls bring financial hardship
Being a female in her society meant Laboni was a financial burden. For a girl in her culture to marry, her family must pay an expensive dowry to her future husband. His physical weight and success determine the dowry price. He stands on a scale, and the bride’s family must match his weight in gold and other valuables until the scale balances.
If a girl’s family is poor, they can’t afford such a price. Instead of marrying, the girl will remain with her parents, who are already struggling to provide for their family.
Laboni’s parents died when she was young, and her grandparents took her in along with her siblings. Knowing her grandparents could never afford her dowry, Laboni wanted to help support her family. She was determined to lessen her financial burden by finding a way to earn money.
A false promise
To her surprise, someone offered Laboni a high-paying job. It would pay enough for her to help provide for her family while saving the excess for her future dowry. Laboni took the job feeling hopeful about her future, yet the unspeakable happened.
Laboni was deceived. Traffickers sold her to a brothel far away from her home village and any family that could help her. The traffickers kept her there with threats, saying they would harm her family if she ever tried to leave.
Laboni’s life was now split between two places—on the side of the road, where she was forced to offer her body, and a small room drenched in blue, where she was confined once she did. That’s where Laboni began to despise the color blue–the color she was forced to stare at.
The cost of freedom
A group of female partners in Venture’s women’s empowerment program noticed Laboni standing on the side of the road. They noticed her body language, suspecting she might be a victim of trafficking. If a fellow woman approached her, it would raise suspicion from the pimp, so our partner asked her brother to approach Laboni covertly and ask if she needed help. Laboni bravely received his offer.
Later that day, the brother visited Laboni at the brothel. He paid the pimp to see her alone in that blue room, where they devised a plan. He gave her an address to meet him, then went and paid to have her for the entire day, giving her enough time to escape before the traffickers caught on.
As the brother left the brothel, he contacted one of our partners, a pastor, to be their getaway driver.
A narrow escape
Laboni left her room with nothing in hand, gripped with fear and anxiety about what might happen if she was caught trying to escape, but filled with hope of what life could be if she were able to.
She met our partners at the rendezvous point and jumped into the pastor’s van to get to the airport. Freedom, for the first time since being trafficked, was coming into sight.
However, the brothel owner somehow discovered Laboni’s escape plan and immediately sent people after them to bring her back.
The pimps sped on motorcycles, quickly caught up, and surrounded the getaway van. The pastor driving said he didn’t even see the road at that point–it was as if he was flying and the car was “being driven by angels.”
Speeding through the city, the pastor miraculously evaded capture and arrived at the airport. The motorcycles were nowhere to be found.
As Laboni passed through airport security that day, she walked toward her new future. One where she could be safe, loved, and free from bondage.
Looking ahead
Now, Laboni lives at a Venture-sponsored home where she receives counseling, education, vocational training, and discipleship. She lives with other teen girls who have been trafficked or are at risk of being trafficked.
Laboni has a strong sense of justice. Ultimately, she dreams of becoming a prosecutor. She yearns to see wrongs made right and traffickers punished for their crimes
Currently, Laboni is healing, enjoying school, frequently found smiling, and learning she loves to paint. She’s awed by all the colors she can create–never before had she seen so many colors.
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This is only one rescue story. Venture partners have rescued 516 individuals this past year. Each rescue is just as unique as the women themselves. Our partners will continue this often dangerous work so more women can find healing and create brighter futures that align with their dreams.
*The names and photo in this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.