After her father left, Zina* was relegated to sleeping on the streets. Her mother and sister at her side, they stayed alive by begging. They soon gained work by scrubbing floors in various homes and businesses.
At age 14, Zina was asked to scrub a floor in a young man’s home. She accepted the work. When she entered his home he attacked and raped her. He kept her for 14 days, repeatedly abusing her and documenting it, threatening that if she sought to escape, he would share the images with others to shame her.
He shared his conquest with others, until another young man visited and quietly said to Zina that he would help her escape. She went with him. He sold her into a brothel. She fought back for hours the first day, but they eventually drugged her and she was abused by customers.
With the days passing and the drugs no longer administered, the arrival of the next customer was inevitable. When he arrived, she knelt to the ground so low that her forehead touched the floor. Bowing before him, she placed her hands on his feet as he stood before her.
She softly but desperately pleaded with him, “Please, please, do not do this. I do not want this.” This man, unlike the others, was not there to hurt her or use her. He ushered her to her feet and assured her that he was undercover and had come to help. After informing her of who he was and what would happen next, he waited for a few minutes so as not to cause suspicion with the pimps in the hallway outside the door of Zina’s small closet. After a few moments, he was gone, but before the day ended, Zina was being led by police out of the brothel and into safety.
As Zina sat in safety in the Aruna Freedom Business counseling office, time and distance separating her from the brothels, her voice was soft but confident. Her posture was strong, her eyes focused, as she shared with us her dreams of a future and a family.
Zina worked as an Aruna Artisan until she met a young man who became her husband and eventually the father of her children. Zina now chooses to stay with her children, taking care of them and providing a childhood much different than her own – one full of love, protection, provision, and bright futures.
Thank you for being a part of bringing bright new futures to women like Zina.