Not For Sale
- Kiran
- Jul 7, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 26, 2020
*Trigger Warning: This art blog is a depiction of a realistic fiction story that is closely related to human rights and prevalent social issues; this post in particular is related to human trafficking. As such, the created artwork may have been exaggerated with blood, fake wounds, words, and drawings which may be triggering to some individuals, in addition to certain triggering events in the narrative. Please feel free to click away from this blog post if you think that this may be a trigger for you. Remember, your mental health comes first.
Artwork by Kiran. Feel free to interpret this painting based on your own individual perspective.
“I can promise you a better life if you follow me. You won't have to live in poverty anymore. You only have to work for 5 days and you will have three meals per day and a home, all free of charge. I promise to make all your dreams come true. You will not have to survive on minimum wages anymore, just come with me. Trust me."
These are just a few of the common statements that traffickers use to lure their victims, and these are the statements that Lily heard when all she wanted was for a better life, as promised. Lily grew up in a very small village in Laos with her parents and 6 of her siblings. She aspired to be a doctor but unfortunately her parents could not send her to school, nor were they able to provide enough food on the table for the whole family, so she had to start working with her father at the mere age of 7. And this was the life that she lived for the next 9 years, until a lady in the village named Song provided her with a golden opportunity that she never thought had existed. Song said to Lily, "I heard you wanted to be a doctor? Well, how about we make that dream of yours come true? All you have to do is to follow me to Thailand and work as a caretaker in one of the family's home, and in return you will be able to live in the house for free while having free meals so you can use the money that you earn to fund for your education." This sounded like music to Lily's ears. How could she possibly pass this up?
And so she spread the news to her parents, but they weren't very convinced. They had plenty of questions in mind, and for good reasons too. Who exactly is this family? How much are they paying her? Would she have an actual room in the house? How will she study if she has to work full time? Why can't they find a caretaker in Thailand? But Lily was determined to make her dreams come true and she managed to persuade her parents enough and made her way over to Thailand with Song. Little did she know what she was about to face her worst nightmare, she was about to be a victim of labor trafficking. For the next 5 years, Lily was paid 50 cents per day for 17 hours of work, 7 days a week. The family had 4 toddler children that Lily had to look after, while also having to constantly cook and clean. She had no room of her own, in fact all she had was a pillow and she had to make do on the hard living room floor. She was not offered any meals, and if she was caught eating the meals that she cooked for the family, she had to spend the night sleeping outside. So she had to wait until she was sure that the whole family was asleep before sneaking into the kitchen and consuming leftovers. Lily also had to endure plenty of dreadful physical and verbal abuse while living and working in that home. And in case you hadn't caught on by now, no she could not fund her education nor did she have the time to do so. Her full week's salary was not even enough to pay for a decent meal.
At the age of 21, Lily could not take this any longer and she knew she had to find a way out, even if it meant going back to her old life in Laos. At that point, Lily knew that anything was better than the situation that she was currently in. When the family went out one day, Lily seized this opportunity to head over to their neighbour's house to speak with them and to plead with them regarding her unfortunate situation. She was fearful that this ordeal might take a wrong turn as she did not know how likely it was that the neighbour would believe her. But perhaps luck was on her side that day, after facing the worst possible luck the past years. The neighbour alerted the necessary authorities and organizations who then assigned special case workers to investigate Lily's case and to rescue her from the dreadful environment. It was not an easy process, and took a full year before she was finally free. From then on it was a long road of recovery ahead for Lily. Her case worker placed her in a shelter home while she helped Lily get back on her feet through part-time job applications so she could work and fund for her education at the same time. Lily also had to go through therapy to help her overcome the psychological trauma that she had to endure for years. Despite the tiring healing process, Lily was finally starting to feel more empowered than ever to craft her own future. A future filled with hope..
REMINDER: This story is a realistic fictional narrative, however certain elements and the context in which the story takes place is based on true factual information and inspiration drawn from the headlines.
1.If you would like to know more about human trafficking and what to do if you encounter an individual who has gone through this experience, be it yourself or others, click on the link below:
2.If you are based in Malaysia, check out this amazing non-profit organization below that focuses on shifting our attitudes and behaviours towards human trafficking and exploitation:
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