My quest for a ‘better life’ made me a victim of trafficking

Meet Asha

"At 40 years of age, I can finally say that I’m free. I think most people don’t ever think of freedom as a privilege, it’s just their norm, but after what I’ve been through I can tell you, to be free is the biggest gift of all.

I have been trafficked and spent almost 7 years trying to get back my freedom.

As a single mom, my biggest drive is to always create a better life for my 2 school-going children and immediate family. Looking at how far I have come, I am truly grateful to be back home and able to run a business. So many people are still stuck a million miles away from home, it breaks my heart to think of them.

My own journey has not been an easy one and without the help of some amazing souls, I would still very much be stuck. I will be forever grateful for the kindness and support I’ve received.

Over the years I’ve reached out to many people, telling them my story and asking them to report my case and send for help. Sadly, for almost 7 years no help came. I often think we don’t consider someone else’s struggles our problem, we think someone else will fix it. At least that’s the only way I can explain why I didn’t receive help for such a long time. I told neighbors, people in the supermarket, and strangers on the street and at the park, but no help ever came.

My rural home is in South Nyanza and I have lived there for the better part of my early life. Due to life difficulties and limited job opportunities, I decided to relocate to Nairobi in search of a better future. There, I struggled to find a stable source of income and resorted to doing menial jobs such as washing clothes for different households to make ends meet. This did not bring in much income and I found myself constantly struggling to support my family and myself.

Not being able to provide the most basic human need, food, is heartbreaking to anyone, especially a mother. I was desperate, sometimes I wouldn’t eat for days just so I could feed my children, and other days I was so weak that I had to choose myself first, in order to have the energy to continue to work and earn money. Those days are the hardest, I would eat and want to immediately throw up, that’s how sick it made me feel to choose myself over my kids.

Eventually, I came across a family who suggested that they had some work for me in Oman. They recommended an agency to me which was owned by a friend of theirs. I trusted them and felt beyond grateful. This opportunity meant that I could finally provide for my family.

So in 2018, I decided to travel to Oman. I did this through a recruitment agency but since this was all new to me, and I had no idea what I was doing, I never got to see my contract, just a promise that I would get a job that would pay me 35,000ksh (290 Euros) as a domestic worker. Since this was a new opportunity with a higher salary I was excited to embark on this journey, but my excitement was short-lived. Upon arrival, I found out I had to work in more than one household for close to 16 hours per day with very little rest. It was really hard. I remember I would only eat one meal a day as my boss denied me food. To make matters worse, I was not allowed to go anywhere, they withheld my passport and salary and I was rarely able to call home. It was a dark time for me.

I was physically assaulted on many occasions and almost everyone I encountered spoke very harshly with me. After 7 years my health condition worsened and one day I was admitted to a hospital after collapsing at work. I wasn’t able to tell anyone at the hospital what happened to me because someone was always with me, making sure to remain silent.

The day I was meant to go home a nurse slipped a phone number on a piece of paper in my pocket. It turned out to be a helpline. It took me a few more weeks until I was able to make the call. When everyone had dinner I took one of the boy's phones and called for help. A day later they discovered what had happened and I was badly beaten and taken to another home.

A few more months passed until I was found and put on a flight back home.

I came back with barely anything to my name, I was desperate once again, as I did not have basic needs such as food to give to my family. Luckily I was introduced to a wonderful Organisation in Kenya that helped me with all of my basic needs. They even arranged therapy for me, which was really helpful as I was able to process what I went through in a safe space.

They also arranged a small grant so I could start up my own business. Now I sell vegetables, eggs, and street food which I am happy to say has picked up quite well. In fact, I plan on expanding my business.

My 2 children and I are now in a much better space. One of them decided to join me in running this business and the other is in University studying to be an engineer. He received a scholarship, I couldn’t feel more proud. He is the first kid in our village to go to university, as a mother that is something that can’t even be put into words, I’m beyond happy and proud. I’m proud that we are finally a family again, that I’m free, and that we no longer spend our days hungry.”

-Asha

A Million Voices features inspirational human stories from around the world. We intend to break down prejudice and connect cultures through the power of visual storytelling.