Rebuilding A Life After Escaping Sex Slavery
Today I met a woman that I will call Elena to protect her identity. She came to Israel from Eastern Europe more than 10 years ago and was forced into sex slavery. At first she refused and was beaten and stripped of all her earthly possessions. Eventually she made the difficult decision to stop fighting because she feared she would be killed.
As she spoke, I couldn’t help but think about her horrifying scenario—leaving her homeland to enter a foreign country with no friends, unable to speak the language, having everything taken away, and without anyone to turn to. Her identity was stripped from her and Elena became a commodity for people to buy and trade.
After entering the sex slavery industry against her will, Elena was bought and sold by many different men and moved from one place to another. She told us that she was very close to committing suicide until a man claimed to have fallen in love with her. He asked to buy her from her owner but was unable to come up with all the money he needed.
About Me
A Christian husband, father, son, and humanitarian. As a video producer for Operation Blessing International, I’ve been able to travel the globe telling stories of hope in adverse circumstances. My goal is to preserve the dignity of the people I meet, while simultaneously documenting their needs. I believe that photographs say much about the person who took them and that they are a glimpse into their world through the photographer’s eye.
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