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Set free by the grace God and an angel named Pearl
Human trafficking has been taking place well before there was an "official" name for the selling of children.
I know, because I lived it. When I was 15, I was groomed and trafficked by my high school boyfriend's father in 1980.
If you read the section on grooming you will gain insight into the grooming process and what's involved, and how brainwashing and blackmail can weaken the bond between parent and child.
Looking back I have been able to identify that my 'grooming process' took around three months. During this time my insecurities were being used against me while not even realizing it.
Intentional actions were being taken to lower my discomfort around adult men, by taking on the role of cool guys telling me they were nothing more than the brothers I never had. To me, it seemed odd, but overtime, I grew to accept it because none of the men hanging around were ever mean to me. I had no reason to fear them.
Yes, one day the 'cool guy & the brother I never had' persona went away, and I was lead into a dark world of physical and emotional abuse for many years that will stay with me until the Good Lord calls me home.
However, the past has no hold over me, and this is why I can openly share how I was groomed and trafficked with the hope of preventing at least one child from experiencing the truest of evils.
Innocence is what the trafficker wants because that's what sells.
Parents, please keep a force of protection around your children. Do not let them roam freely on social media or in public spaces without you or a group of at least four, there can be safety in numbers.
Parents do not be your kid’s friend, be their parent, say 'no' to their requests if it presents danger. Let them be mad at you.
Girls, you do not need to show off your body to be liked, You don't have to "give in" to a boy just because he tells you he loves you or he will leave you if you don't.
You are so much more than your body! You are God's child, and you are loved!
This was my high school graduation picture. By looking at this picture, would you have any idea that I was being trafficked for over 2 1/2 years?
Whatever idea you have in your head about what a trafficked child looks like is most likely from the images of children trafficked in other countries.
Most American trafficked kids are functioning in life with a survival and self-separation mode.
Why the name 'Pearl at the Mailbox'?
I would see Pearl at the mailbox mostly every day at the final location I was being trafficked. She was an elderly women with a love for the Lord and a no fear attitude.
She would say to me, "Honey, I know something is not right and when you are ready to go I will be here for you".
Never would I have imagined that I would one day tell her that I was ready to go, but I did.
Thank you, Pearl, I miss you on this earth and cannot thank you enough for being my 'Pearl at the mailbox'.
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