Hearing the stories of sex trafficking survivors provides an invaluable glimpse into the horrors of modern day slavery. In this interview, Stop Modern Day Slavery founder Rachel speaks with Chiquita, a young woman who had been sold for sex starting at just 14-years-old. Now, Chiquita works with other survivors of sex trafficking and has even authored her own book, I am a Ruby, Not a Sapphire.
To begin, I wanted to have you explain your experience in sex trafficking before diving into the questions. Basically, I would like you to share your story in however much detail as you are comfortable with.
I grew up in a very abusive home to a young mother who made it clear she did not want me. I was physically abused often and sexually molested by several of her boyfriends. She would always believe her boyfriends over me. When she decided to marry her boyfriend who was molesting me, she told me I couldn’t go with them and I had to go live with my dad whom I did not know or had a relationship with. He was also abusive and an alcoholic. One of his young friends molested me and my dad didn’t take it seriously at all. I ended up attempting suicide. I was brought to the hospital in time after my half-sister found me unresponsive.
At the age of 13, I went to go stay with an aunt who had a live-in boyfriend who also molested me and she believed him over me, just like my mother did. At 14, I ended up going back to my mother who did not want me and the abuse continued to the point I decided to run away at the age of 15.
I ran away via greyhound bus to a big city. I did not know anyone there and after running out of money, being homeless and hungry, I was approached by a young man who offered to help me. He sounded sincere and because I was naïve and in a bad state, I took him upon his offer. He bought me some food and gave me a bed to sleep in that night. The next morning, he crawled into that same bed and raped me. He then made me go with him to this apartment where this couple lived, a black man and a white girl. I asked if I could use their restroom and when I came out, the young man who raped me was not there. The man grabbed me and told me I had been sold; he was a pimp!
You have spoken about how growing up in your mother and your father’s abusive households shaped your early years. Did it desensitize you to the violence and sexual exploitation you would live through in sex trafficking?
Experiencing so much physical and sexual abuse at such an early age lowered my self-esteem, made me feel like nobody loved me, and caused a lot of depression. I felt like this was the way my life was supposed to be. However, it did not prepare me for the sexual violence or degradation I experienced while being trafficked. When you’re being sold like a piece of meat over and over again, raped and physically abused, you become numb inside; you retreat within and pretend it’s someone else. All of it was a part of shaping how I viewed men and myself later on in life.
Why do you think your traffickers/pimps preyed on you specifically? What was it about you that made you a target to each of them?
When I was 15 years old, I looked younger because I was so thin. The young man was a recruiter who watched me the moment I got off the bus and knew I was naïve, homeless, and had nowhere to go. They knew exactly what to say to get my attention.
What methods of abuse, coercion, or manipulation did your traffickers/pimps employ to control you?
My very first night, I was beaten very badly because I initially resisted the pimp and that was his way of letting me know who was in control. I was also beaten that night because I allowed a john to control the “situation” and so I had to “learn a lesson” to never do that again. They’ve held a gun to my head and knives to my throat as ways to control me, as well as physically abuse me.
Can you tell me a bit about your book, I am a Ruby, Not a Sapphire?
My book, I Am a Ruby, Not a Sapphire is not only about my journey into sex trafficking, but it’s also about me finding my worth in a world filled with rejection. It’s about a broken little girl learning how to love herself and finding healing and forgiveness within so that she can live a full productive life. I’m priceless!
What was your relationship with your family like when you were being trafficked? Did they suspect anything was wrong?
My family did not know I was being trafficked. In fact, they did not know I had run away because my mother never told them. She would just tell them I was fine whenever they asked about me even though she didn’t know where I was either. She never looked for me.
Were there any signs of human trafficking that people (teachers, coaches, religious leaders, friends, etc.) around you ignored? How could they have helped?
While I was trafficked, I was stopped by a few cops that I thought would help me, but instead of helping me they demanded sexual favors or I would be taken to jail. Had they taken my cries seriously, my journey would’ve ended sooner.
How were you ultimately able to escape? How was your transition from being trafficked to being free?
I was rescued by a security guard that was in a store. He was able to get me away before the pimp or his henchmen could get to me. He took me to a hotel and brought his mother and grandmother there the next day and they took me into their home. After being rescued I experienced a lot of depression, mental instability, anger, suicidal ideations so I was still bound.
Could you speak about how your faith helped you recover from human trafficking?
Learning about how much God loves me and how He sees me in His eyes changed my view of myself. Learning how to receive God’s forgiveness taught me how to forgive myself and others. It changed my thought process and made me grateful to be alive. I began to understand that we all have a purpose in life and my journey is a part of my purpose.
What do you believe are the biggest misconceptions about human trafficking and survivors of human trafficking?
The biggest misconceptions about human trafficking is that it happens like the movie “Taken” and that it only happens to certain types of individuals when anyone in any demographic group can fall prey. Another misconception is that once a person is rescued from human trafficking that’s the end of the journey. For a survivor, that is the beginning of another journey.
What is your relationship with your family like today? Do you speak with them?
I developed a relationship with my biological family when I was about 28 years old. I’m very close with my grandparents and some members of the family. My mother recently passed November 2019, but we had a cordial relationship. My dad and I currently have a good relationship. I’m very close to my adopted family. That security guard who rescued me became my big brother!!
In your opinion, how can we best advocate against sex trafficking? What can the average person do to help eliminate the exploitation of other human beings?
Educate everyone on the dangers of sex trafficking, the risk factors, who the traffickers target, and the different ways of how they lure victims in. Educate people on the signs, what to look for, make sure they have resources available to help someone. Continue to raise our voices, continue to raise awareness, and continue to keep it in the forefront! The average person can help by speaking up if they see something or even suspect something. Make a call to the National Human Trafficking hotline, +1 888-373-7888 or their local law enforcement agency.
Thank you so much, Chiquita, for sharing your story with us. I am a Ruby, Not a Sapphire can be purchased here.
