At 16, my family no longer wanted to fund my education, so I dropped out of school. After a year, one of my friends introduced me to this guy who was helping girls find jobs abroad in Turin, Italy. She said that all the people he helped were making money and enjoying a better life.
As soon as I arrived, heaven turned into hell. Some girls and I were moved from depot to depot, we were beaten and given very little food to keep us weak. Eventually, I was sold to a brothel and forced to sleep with men. I was raped and beaten almost every night at first until I learned to be quiet.
One day, they sent me to a rich man, and I told him my story. He helped me escape the brothel in exchange for a few “favors”. He forced me to sleep with him and sell drugs for him, and if I didn’t, he threatened to tell my former owners where I was.
Eventually, I escaped and found my way back to Nigeria. I had left Nigeria with little but came home to nothing. I couldn’t return to my family; I was damaged goods. So I took to the streets and did what I knew how to do best: prostitution. It was during a fight with another girl that the police came and arrested us. The judge had heard about Genesis House and so sent me there for rehabilitation.
Oluchi’s story of poverty leading to sex trafficking is a familiar one. At Genesis House, we provide all our clients with love, discipline, and a place to call home. It is a chance for a new beginning to regain their self-esteem and dignity.
The name in this story has been changed to protect client confidentiality