'We were scared and crying, we didn't know where we were or what was happening' [Jun. 12th, 2009|05:44 pm] 6 Degrees 6degreesaa

[ vangthidi ] Where I come from is very isolated, there is nothing around here and I didn't have any knowledge.



I was out walking with my girlfriend one evening when we met two men - I knew one of them from the village, and they asked us if we wanted make some money, because if we did they, could take us to the border to work.



We were interested, I didn’t have a chance to make a lot of money, so this sounded a good chance. They said they would take us to a local bar to talk about it further, and we agreed. But instead of taking us to the local town, they took us to Hassam town, the central provincial town.



It was late by now, midnight, and they said that there was a place for us to stay over and they would take us home in the morning. We had no money and there was no transport, so we had no choice.



In the morning we got on the bikes and they said they were taking us home, but they didn’t. They took us to Cao Bang province, where we ended up at what they said was their sister in law’s house. We had no idea where we were - I had never been far from my own village before, and I did not recognise the countryside.



It was only later that I found out we were already in China - they had taken us over the border secretly. The woman in the house was nice at first - she offered us breakfast, but we refused. She said she was going shopping, but when she left she locked us in the room. We were scared and crying, we didn’t know where we were or what was happening.



Another woman came to us and told us we were alone and no one was coming for us. She said we were hundreds of miles into china, and if we tried to leave we would be robbed and hurt. We were very scared. We found out my friend and I had been sold to two different families, they separated us and I was taken to a family in Lang Soon border area.



They locked me in and told me I must sleep with Chinese men for them. I was so shocked. I did not agree. I knew nothing of men. But they beat me and beat me and gave me no food for a whole week.



I thought I was going to die, I was weak and could no longer fight. So I agreed to do it. They told me I get no money, but if I don't do it, then I get no food. It makes me very downhearted. I am so dispirited, but I cannot get out.



The owner of the brothel was a Vietnamese, married to a Chinese. I was there for, I think, a month in the end. My friend had managed to escape and get back to Vietnam.



The owner of my brothel made me call her house, because they wanted to know if she had gone back home so they could follow her. But they did not speak my language, so they did not know that I did not call the house of my friend, instead I called Mai (local women’s union worker) and I told hurriedly where I was and the name of the woman holding me, and Mai called the police. I was so worried the brothel owner would know what I had done, but she had no way of knowing, so I waited and held my breath.



Three days later the police came knocking at the door. I was so worried that they would not find me, but they did, and they took me back home. I was so happy. That is the only way I can describe it - so happy.



But then I got back to my village, and everyone criticised me. They said I had brought disgrace on them. It made me terribly distressed. Everyone was criticising me, they would not let me get on with my life. I thought I was home, but I was not. I wanted to commit suicide. I had brought a very bad name on my family and all my relations. Then I got some counselling (through Women’s union), and began to feel better.



I met a man who was very kind to me at first, but he abused my circumstance. I became pregnant and he left me. (I now have a four-year old son). When my step-mother found out, she sent me away from the house, I had nowhere to live. So I had to do domestic work through my pregnancy, so that I could have a room at the house I worked at.



Then I started learning skills through the project set up by the Women's Union. I was paid 10,000VND a day to work on weaving (a sort of training allowance), and now I have learned to sew, I make and sell cushion covers for $2 a time. This is double what I could make otherwise. I now have my own house and I grow and sell maize. I feel much more confident about the future, for the first time in a long time I can live my own life and I can also be a good mother and provide for my son.



I see all around me that there are still girls here who think it good to go to China, but I tell them it is much better here. There may be money in China, but here you have your freedom.



Girls need to be more careful to protect themselves. They need to know this is a danger to them. We need to do more awareness raising to stop this happening. I felt hopeless, they told me that Vietnam was very far away, and I believed them. I knew no better. They also told me that I had to work very hard to earn enough money to pay them back the amount they had paid for me, so that then they could free me. But I did not know how much that was. And I got no earnings. I didn’t know this wasn’t true. I felt absolutely hopeless. I tried desperately to work hard for them so they would let me go. If I ever cried, the owner would beat me.



I am now so much more confident about the future, now I have work that means I can provide for my child.



After all that has happened, I now feel happy to stay here. This is my home, and I don’t want to leave.