Modern Day Slavery • 9min read

Trapped: A Teens Journey from Abuse to Freedom

The Escape

Sarah sat nervously on the edge of her bed, waiting for her father to come home. She knew he had been drinking all day and that meant trouble. Her heart raced as she heard his footsteps getting closer and closer until finally, he burst through the door.

”Where have you been?” he yelled at her, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her up to face him.

”I was just out with some friends,” Sarah replied meekly, trying not to anger him any further.

Her father’s grip tightened as he spat in her face. “You think I’m stupid? You were out with that boy again weren’t you?”

Sarah’s mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of this situation. She knew she couldn’t stay here any longer or else one day it would be too late. Without thinking, she blurted out: “I’m leaving!”

Her father looked taken aback for a moment before letting go of Sarah’s hair and laughing bitterly. “Where are you going to go? You’re nothing without me.”

But Sarah had already made up her mind. She quickly packed a bag with whatever essentials she could find and slipped out into the night, determined never to look back.

As she walked down the empty street, Sarah felt both exhilarated and terrified at what lay ahead. But for the first time in a long time, she felt like there was hope for something better than what life had dealt her so far.

Stranded on the Streets

Sarah’s heart was beating faster than ever before as she walked away from the only home she had ever known. She clutched a backpack tightly in her hand, filled with all of her worldly possessions- a few clothes, some money and a family photograph. She had no idea where to go or what to do next.

As she wandered down the deserted streets, Sarah felt increasingly lost and alone. Hunger pangs wracked her stomach but she couldn’t bring herself to beg for food. Every person that passed by seemed like they were rushing somewhere important, while Sarah didn’t have anywhere to be.

Just as despair started to consume her completely, Sarah was approached by a woman who looked just a little older than her. The woman had kind eyes and smiled at Sarah reassuringly.

”Are you okay?” The stranger asked gently.

Sarah hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly, not really sure what else to say.

The woman introduced herself as Maria and offered to buy Sarah some food. Starving and desperate for any help at all, Sarah accepted gratefully. Over their meal together Maria listened sympathetically as Sarah told her story - running away from an abusive father and having nowhere else to go.

A Helping Hand?

Maria seemed genuinely concerned about Sarah’s welfare and offered her a place to stay for the night in exchange for some chores around the house over the weekend. Tired from walking around aimlessly all day long and grateful for this offer of help, Sarah agreed immediately.

Over dinner that evening Maria revealed more about herself- how she too had been homeless once upon a time but now worked as an outreach worker trying to help people get off the streets permanently.

A flicker of hope ignited inside Sarah as Maria spoke excitedly about job training opportunities available through government programs designed specifically for people in situations like hers.

For the first time since leaving home, it seemed like Sarah had a chance to turn her life around.

The Trap

Sarah was sitting at the corner of the street, holding a sign written ‘Please Help’. It had been almost a week since she escaped from home and she had nowhere to go. She was hungry, thirsty and scared. Suddenly, a man came up to her and offered her some food and water. Sarah’s eyes sparkled with hope as she accepted his offer.

The man seemed kind-hearted as he talked to Sarah about her life on the streets. He asked about how she manages without money or shelter. As they were talking, another man approached them with an envelope in his hand.

”This is for you,” he said as he handed over the envelope to the kind stranger who was helping Sarah earlier.

”Thank you,” the stranger replied as he opened the envelope to read its contents.

Sarah could see that something wasn’t right. The two men were whispering among themselves while looking at her from time to time.

”What’s going on?” Sarah asked uneasily.

The men turned towards Sarah with serious faces. “We are sorry but we have no choice but to ask you to come with us.”

Sarah hesitated for a moment before realizing that there was nothing else she could do except follow them silently.

She didn’t know what was happening until they arrived at an abandoned building where many other people like her were waiting inside.

Trapped

As soon as they entered, one of the men started explaining their situation: “You are now part of our organization which will provide you food and shelter in exchange for begging on streets”.

Sarah couldn’t believe what she just heard; it felt like someone had punched her hard in the stomach. She realized that everything had been planned beforehand by these two strangers who pretended to be kind-hearted individuals when actually they were part of an organized crime ring which controlled beggars across cities through threats and intimidation.

”I don’t want this! Please let me go,” Sarah pleaded while tears flowed down her cheeks.

The men laughed mockingly as they replied, “You can’t go now. You are trapped here.”

Sarah knew that she was in a serious trouble; there was no way out of this situation. She felt scared and helpless, not knowing what would happen to her next.

Life in Captivity

Sarah always thought that her life was bad with her abusive father, but now she realized how wrong she was. Being trapped by the crime ring was worse than anything she could have ever imagined.

The captives were kept in small rooms, barely enough space for them to sit or lie down. The windows were barred and the doors locked from outside. They were given a meager amount of food every day, just enough to keep them alive.

The crime ring made sure that everyone knew who was in charge. Any sign of rebellion or disobedience would result in severe punishment - beatings, starvation, or even death. Sarah saw some of the captives being punished for not bringing enough money back from begging on the streets.

Sarah felt helpless and scared all the time. She missed her home, as terrible as it was, at least it was familiar to her. Here everything seemed foreign and threatening.

One of the worst things about being captive was seeing other people come and go while they were still stuck there. Occasionally someone would be released after they had earned enough money for their captors or if they became too sick to beg anymore.

Sarah wondered if she would ever get out of this place alive or if she would end up like those unfortunate souls who never returned from their “work” on the streets.

Sarah’s Plan for Escape

Sarah had been on the streets for what felt like an eternity. She was at the mercy of her captors, forced to beg for money day in and day out. But after weeks of being under control, she knew that she needed to come up with a plan to escape.

It wasn’t going to be easy. The crime ring that held her captive was ruthless, and they kept a close eye on all their captives. But Sarah was determined to get out, no matter what it took.

She started by observing everything around her. She watched how her captors moved and interacted with each other. She also paid attention to their routines - when they came and went from their base camp, where they stored their money at night, and so on.

Once she had gathered enough information, Sarah began putting together a plan. It involved sneaking away from the camp during one of the guard’s shifts while he was distracted or asleep.

But there were still many obstacles standing in her way. For one thing, she didn’t know how to navigate the city well enough yet; without knowing which streets would lead her towards safety and which ones would lead straight back into danger.

Another problem was that even if she got away unnoticed by anyone else besides herself- there could be consequences later down the line since those who tried running before were often punished harshly upon return or found themselves in worse circumstances than before as punishment.

Despite these challenges ahead of her though, Sarah remained determined not give up until freedom became hers again!

The Escape Plan Execution

Sarah realized that her only chance of escape was to act quickly and decisively. She began by mapping out every detail of the crime ring’s operations. She closely observed the guards’ movements, noting their routines and identifying any weaknesses in their security measures.

Over several days, Sarah secretly gathered supplies she would need for the escape attempt: a makeshift rope made from bed sheets, a sharp piece of metal for cutting through wire fencing, and some stolen food for sustenance during their journey.

One evening, when the guards were distracted by a disturbance on the other side of the compound, Sarah quietly slipped out of her confinement area and made her way to where they kept all their belongings. With trembling hands, she collected as many items as she could carry before making her way to where Lisa was being held captive.

Lisa was surprised to see Sarah standing there with all these things but soon realized what she was planning. Together they set about breaking through two layers of fencing using the wire cutter and then abseiling down from an adjoining building using the homemade rope.

As they fled into the dark night-time streets, they heard alarms blaring behind them but did not stop running until they were sure that no one was pursuing them anymore.

Freedom

After several hours of walking aimlessly through unfamiliar streets, Sarah and Lisa found themselves in front of a homeless shelter run by volunteers who offer hot meals and beds at night-time.

The volunteers noticed how vulnerable both girls looked - dirty clothes with visible scars on faces - so quickly took them under their wing- offering showers first thing followed by new clothing.

While grateful for this temporary solution to their needs, both girls knew deep down that it wouldn’t be long before they’d have to move on again if they hoped to stay free from those who’d imprisoned them initially.

Despite facing new challenges daily such as finding work or permanent accommodation without proper identification papers or an education, Sarah and Lisa remained hopeful that they could build a new life for themselves. They’re determined to make the most of their newfound freedom and not take anything for granted.