Tricked into Slavery … and Rescued

15 May

Image of woman in Vietnam who was rescued from slaveryHua Lin is so grateful to be free!

Tricked into Slavery … and Rescued

Your support is restoring the lives of Hua Lin and other innocent victims

Dear Family,

Hua Lin used to live in a small, cramped apartment in Vietnam, where she worked at a factory job. But one morning, she found the factory padlocked when she showed up for work. One thousand workers were laid off with no advance notice and left to fend for themselves because of COVID-19.

Hua Lin tried to escape her new reality by going to parties and forgetting the world around her. At one of these parties, she met a man who made her feel special. He promised her that her life would improve if she would be willing to work at a casino in China, where she could earn a lot of money. Vulnerable, and with a strong desire to support her parents, Hua Lin agreed to go.

Two strong men led Hua Lin and ten other girls across the mountains. But as the COVID-19 crisis worsened and borders were closed, the group was forced to stop halfway to their destination. Hua Lin and 10 other girls were kept in an outside shed like animals and were fed nothing to eat except dry instant noodles. Trapped in a remote area, they had no choice but to comply. They were given dirty drinking water and had no access to basic sanitary items.

When the borders finally opened, Hua Lin and the others did not go to China at all. Instead, they were taken into Myanmar where, on top of all the trauma they had already faced, they were sold into prostitution.

During the next 30 days, Hua Lin witnessed terrible acts of evil and torture. At one point, she was locked in a room with her hands and feet tied and was starved for a week. One of her friends managed to escape and instantly reported the situation to the police, who raided the brothel and rescued the many girls trapped in slavery. Praise God!

For the month that she worked as a sex slave, Hua Lin received no money. She felt absolutely hopeless as she thought about returning to her family not only empty-handed but filled with shame. What would they think?

Thanks be to God, our Human Trafficking & Slavery Ministry partner was able to successfully repatriate 150 victims—including Hua Lin—back to Vietnam throughout the entire year. As these young women experience the love of God, trauma counseling, and true care, they are on the difficult journey to healing and recovery with themselves, their families, and their communities.

We are forever grateful for your love and care!

Image of the directors of the Human Trafficking & Slavery Ministry

Burt and Patty Forney
Directors, Human Trafficking & Slavery Ministry

Contribute to the Human Trafficking & Slavery Ministry

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pin It on Pinterest