Survivor of Online Child Sexual Exploitation

13 years old

 USA

     

My name is Liam. I am a survivor of online child sexual exploitation, and this is my story.  

Video gaming has always been one of my favorite hobbies. After school, on weekends, and anytime I had a free moment, I’d be online. It was normal for me to jump into games and connect with strangers from all over the world. I’ll never forget the day I met Charlotte, “Charlie” for short.

We quickly hit it off. Day after day, we’d spend hours playing together. Over time, we started sharing more personal details and began talking outside of the game. She was older than me, but I actually found her easier to talk to than girls my own age.

One day, out of nowhere, she sent me sensual photos of herself. There was no denying she was beautiful. Then she asked me to send something in return. I felt uneasy, it was something I had never done before. But I went through with it. The moment I hit send, I felt a deep sinking feeling in my stomach. I knew I had done something I would regret.

From that point on, everything changed. She kept pressuring me for more photos and videos. When I said I didn’t want to, her tone shifted. She became aggressive, nothing like the person I thought I knew. I tried to ignore her constant messages, but then she did something I couldn’t ignore. She began messaging my friends, sharing what I had sent her. She threatened that if I didn’t give her more, “things would only get worse.”

I was only 13 at the time. Reeling from the embarrassment and confusion of it all, I didn’t know what to do, whom to trust, or how to ask for help.

Just a few days later, an organization came to my school to talk about the growing risks of online exploitation for teens. They played a Can You See Me? video from A21 about a boy who had been exploited through a gaming platform. Watching it felt like looking into a mirror. It was as if they were telling my story.

In that moment, something in me shifted. I knew I had to speak up. I gathered every bit of courage I had and told a trusted adult everything. I thought that sharing my story would make me feel worse, but instead, I was met with kindness and compassion. For the first time, I didn’t feel alone.

Until all safety has been restored.

Survivor of Sex Trafficking

31 years old

 Western Africa

    

My world fell apart when I was just a child.  

First, I lost my parents. Then war came to our village. Our house was attacked, and I watched the majority of my family die right before my eyes. I was kidnapped and taken into the forest, where I was tortured and abused over and over again. When they were done with me, I was left alone to die. 

Against all odds, someone eventually found me. I was in critical condition and couldn’t walk, but they helped me get back to my grandmother. Our neighbor told us it was too dangerous to stay in the community. She said she knew someone in Bangladesh who could keep me safe and give me the medical help I so desperately needed.

I thought the worst was over. I had no idea her kindness was a trap.

When I arrived in Bangladesh, the woman who was supposed to help me told me that I had to "pay back" my transportation and medical costs. I had no money, and she knew that. This was the day I was sold for the first time. I had escaped one nightmare only to find myself in another. From that day onward, I was sexually exploited constantly, forced to serve countless customers a day.

After a year, I found myself completely hopeless and desperate. I don’t know where the courage came from, but one day I took a chance and trusted some strangers. I am so thankful they didn’t take advantage of me. They helped me get to Turkey, and from there I made my way to Greece. That's when I saw the A21 Human Trafficking Hotline number and called.

Not only did A21 believe me and what had happened, but they did something about it. For the first time in years, I was truly safe. A21 provided me with emergency accommodation, medical care, and ongoing counseling. They helped me work with the police to pursue justice and make sure my traffickers couldn't hurt anyone else. The staff at the Freedom Center supported me as I healed. And today, I am living a life I never imagined was possible.

I can't change what happened to me. But maybe my story will help protect someone else.

Until all regions have been restored.

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Survivor of Forced Labor

45 years old

 Latin America
    

I was 45 years old when I made the decision that I thought would change my family's life for the better.

A job opportunity in the United States seemed like the answer: good pay, honest work, a chance to provide for the people I loved most. Until it wasn't.

After I received my visa and arrived in the States, I knew right away in my gut that something wasn’t right. The job I'd been promised didn't exist. I had been trafficked.

After years of unpaid work, I managed to escape and found another job, determined to start over. But it happened again. Another trafficker. Another trap. More exploitation. I had done everything right. And yet, I was exploited over and over again.

Once I found freedom again, I knew I couldn't do it alone anymore. I reached out for legal help. What I didn't know was that seeking help would mean saying goodbye to my family.

We were separated by borders, by bureaucracy, by a system that I didn't fully understand.

Back home, my family was struggling without me. My wife was holding everything together. We were financially stretched, uncertain about the future, and desperate for stability. I began to wonder if we’d ever be together again.

I had escaped my traffickers, but I had lost my family in the process. The weight of separation was its own kind of exploitation. Every day without them felt impossible. Then A21 came alongside me.

I was referred to A21 for case management, and suddenly, I wasn't navigating this alone anymore. They provided legal assistance, helping me understand every step of the process. Through A21's Life Programs, I learned skills to support my family and navigate the system. When my visa was approved, my family was able to come to the United States.

I will never forget what it felt like to see my kids come down the escalator in the airport and run into my arms. Or how it felt to hold my wife’s hand for the first time after so long. It had been more than six years, but we were finally together again.

It was just before the holidays. The timing felt like a gift we desperately needed. A21 didn’t just help me survive; they helped me restore what trafficking tried to destroy.

Today, we're rebuilding our life.. We've moved into a new home. The kids are enrolled in school. We're getting to live everyday life together again. Dinner at the table, homework help, the ordinary things that feel so special when you’ve been without them.

I'm still in A21's program, still receiving support as we adjust to this new chapter. But now, I'm doing it with my family by my side.
 

Until all families have been restored.

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Survivor of Child Sexual Exploitation

9 years old

 Southeast Asia

     

We were just kids when it all started.

When I was 9, a school in a nearby city offered me a scholarship. It covered not only my education but also housing and meals. For my family, it felt like a miracle. Finally, a real opportunity that my parents had hoped for but couldn’t provide. The school even paid for my travel and gave my parents extra money to ease the transition.

When I hugged my parents goodbye, none of us could have imagined what was about to happen.

The school targeted girls like me on purpose: young and from families struggling to survive. The education we were promised? It never happened. Instead, we were abused and sexually exploited daily by the very headmaster who had promised my parents he would care for us. 

The other students and I tried to say “no”, but when we did, we were threatened. We were far away from home and so afraid. We didn’t know what to do, so we stayed quiet.

Over time, I became friends with a few of the other girls. We dreamed about getting out and seeing our families again. One day, when no one was watching, we took a chance. We grabbed each other’s hands and ran as fast and as far as we could. This is when someone noticed us and asked if we were okay. We told him everything, and they took us to the local station. At that moment, I knew we were safe and the nightmare was finally over. This is when they told us that they knew of an organization that would help us.

A21 made sure we were safe and placed us under protection while the police investigated the school. Our trafficker was arrested, and A21’s legal team helped us with the court process.

A21 also welcomed us into their Freedom Center, where we went to counseling to help us deal with everything we’d been through. They even helped us get scholarships to go to a real school. To get the education we were supposed to have in the first place.

At the Freedom Center, we could just be kids again. Today, everything is different. Some of my friends finished school and have jobs. Others of us, including myself, are mentoring younger girls who went through what we did. A few of us even volunteer at A21 events, telling our stories to help protect other kids from exploitation.

Until all childhoods have been restored.

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Survivor of Domestic Servitude

28 years old

 Latin America
    

My name is Milagros, and I’m from Guatemala. I'm a wife, mother of two, and a survivor of human trafficking. Before trafficking, I was a teacher.

I loved mentoring others and inspiring people in my community. Then I decided to come to the United States to give my children a better life.

As I was traveling through Mexico with my young son and infant daughter, our bus was stopped by masked men with weapons. They screamed at us: "Either you die or you work for us." I had my children to think about; survival was the only option.

While they escorted me to captivity, I imagined what would be waiting for me. But nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to endure. They took me to a large, nice home, where many other people were being held. My purpose? I was there to clean the floors. I had to do so only by crawling on my hands and knees so neighbors wouldn't see us through the windows and get suspicious. We were watched 24/7, and starved unless we agreed to sexual acts with our traffickers, which I always refused. Most days, I got two cookies or some canned food. Some days, nothing.

I witnessed things no person should ever see. Anyone who didn’t comply would be brutally killed in front of the rest of us to prove a point: obey or die.

Thankfully, my husband was informed about what happened and paid a ransom to the traffickers to release me. But freedom didn't feel like freedom. Not yet. I had lost all hope. I struggled with night terrors, PTSD, and constant fear for my family that I couldn’t get rid of.

We were fortunate to be able to make our way to Texas, where I connected with a therapist. He encouraged me to participate in counseling and provided a referral so I could get legal help. A few months later, I met the team at A21.

Through A21, I realized I was capable. I could move forward. They gave me the tools I didn’t know I needed or could have. A21 taught me a word I'd never heard before: resilience. And I embody it now.

I learned to trust again. I realized there are good people in this world. A21 helped me learn English. They provided me with job readiness training and helped me create a resume. I completed Life Programs and got my work authorization.

Today, I have dreams again. I want to give my children the same words of encouragement A21 gave me. I want to advocate for others, just like I did before.

Until all resilience have been restored.

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Survivor of Online Child Sexual Exploitation

14 years old

 USA
    

My name is Jordan. I was just 14 when I was trafficked through a DM.

There is nothing I love more than dancing. I’d spend hours filming routines and uploading videos to social media. Dancing made me feel alive and when people would leave comments on my posts, it felt good. It made me feel less invisible.

One day, a girl named Alyssa reached out. She said I was a beautiful dancer. It made me smile. I checked her profile, and she looked my age. We started chatting about life and personal stuff. It felt like she really understood me.

At home, things felt quiet. My mom was always busy. I spent most of my time in my room, scrolling through social media. Alyssa and I started talking more often. That’s when Alyssa messaged me again.

She told me I was talented, that I could be a professional dancer. She even said she had a friend who could help me get discovered at a dance tryout. I stared at the message in disbelief. This would be a dream come true. I thought about it all day, but was nervous to ask my mom about it. Would she think it’s stupid? What about the money for new pointe shoes? How would I get there?

She kept messaging me, saying I needed to let her friend know ASAP. She said not to worry about the money. She even offered to pick me up and drive me to the tryout. I was a little scared, but I packed my dance bag anyway.

She drove to my house, and I left with her. Later that night, my mom texted me asking where I was. I didn’t answer.

When we arrived at a house, not a dance studio, I knew something wasn’t right. I don’t remember all the details of what happened next. What I do remember is the fear that overcame me when I realized the “tryout” didn’t exist. I was introduced to a bunch of other girls and told what my new reality was: I was being forced to sell myself online.

I didn’t want to, but it became quickly apparent what would happen if I refused and or tried to leave. They had my address…they knew my family…this wasn’t just about me. But eventually, I just didn't care anymore. I never imagined I’d get out, but one day, I ran. Someone connected me with A21. They welcomed me into their Freedom Center, where I participated in counseling and met other survivors. This is where I learned that what I had experienced was human trafficking.

A21 helped me understand it wasn't my fault. I was targeted, groomed, and manipulated by a predator. I still have nightmares. Some days I want to quit. But I'm grateful for the second chance I've been given. I know I still have a long way to go, but this is a beginning I never thought possible.

I will never forget the day my A21 caseworker gave me a pair of pointe shoes. I’m rediscovering my love for dance because of the people at A21 who have believed in me and walked with me every step of the way.

Until all dreams have been restored.

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