Thuy: From Escaping Human Traffickers to Following Her Dreams
July 29, 2024
When Blue Dragon rescued Thuy from traffickers in Myanmar, she had nothing left to rebuild her life with. Blue Dragon stuck by her side, and now she is lifting her family out of the poverty that made her so vulnerable to trafficking in the first place.
City Life
Thuy and her husband packed their bags, left their two children in the care of family members and set off for the city. They hoped that they would find enough work to give their children a bright future.
But life in the city was hard. They rented a small, rundown apartment with barely enough room to stretch their legs, and spent their days searching desperately for any odd jobs they could find.
Thuy’s husband worked as a motorbike taxi driver, scouring the streets for customers from sunrise until late night. Thuy washed dishes, worked as a waitress and sold food at the market.
No matter how hard Thuy and her husband worked, it was never enough. They couldn’t afford the rent on their tiny apartment, let alone take any money home to their children. As their debts piled up, they wondered if they would ever make it back home at all.
Thuy’s market stall
Escape
One day when Thuy was searching for work online, she saw an advertisement for an opportunity in Thailand. Finally, she and her husband would be able to pay off their debts and provide the life they so wanted for their children.
Thuy packed a bag of essentials and made her way to Thailand. However, upon arriving and meeting the people behind the online advertisement, she realised she had been tricked.
Thuy was trafficked into Myanmar, where her captors locked her in a small hotel room. She listened as they discussed their plans for her: they were going to sell her to a brothel.
But Thuy had other ideas. She had been in secret contact with her husband, who then reached out to Blue Dragon. We had already formulated an escape plan before she even reached the hotel.
When Thuy saw her moment, she ran. Terrified that her captors would chase her, she kept running as fast as she could toward the designated meeting spot – a building she remembered from the long road journey.
Thuy made it. She was rattled, hungry and out of breath, but finally in a safe space among people who cared for her. From there, Blue Dragon brought her home.
Thuy arrives back in Vietnam
Motivation
Thuy spent two days recovering at the Blue Dragon shelter. She was traumatised by her ordeal, but gradually felt comfortable enough to share her experiences and make new friends.
After Thuy returned home to her husband and children, Blue Dragon stayed in touch and began to work out a support plan for her. That was when Thuy told us about her dream of becoming a beautician – a dream she considered too far-fetched to take seriously.
With Blue Dragon at Thuy’s side, she had the power to make that once distant dream a reality. We assisted her enrollment in a six-month eyelash extension course while providing her family with living expenses and health support.
Thuy is overjoyed. She is eager to learn new things, studies diligently and never misses a class. She has won over her teachers and mastered a valuable new skill.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to learn such a skill,” says Thuy. “And I’m determined to see it through. The support from Blue Dragon, from my husband and my children is a great motivation for me to keep moving forward.”
Thuy hard at work
Ending Human Trafficking
Blue Dragon doesn’t just rescue people from human trafficking; we enable trafficking survivors to heal, take back control of their lives and pursue their dreams.
When people return from ordeals such as Thuy’s, they need holistic care and ongoing support to stop them falling back into the same cycle of poverty that made them so vulnerable in the first place.
With a new vocational skill, Thuy will have a much better chance to provide for her children, who will in turn be less likely to leave school looking for work, which will raise education levels in the community.
With education comes resilience. With resilience, communities can look forward to brighter, safer futures. That is why every person put back in control of their life is another step toward ending human trafficking for good.
