Voices of Survivors Cast Video Skalickyphoto.com

It takes so much courage for survivors to

speak out and tell their stories.

For one, they are afraid of the

traffickers finding them, but two,

it brings up alot of really really hard

memories.

And so I feel privileged to be able

to hear a survivor story and know that

just by telling their story, they trust me

enough to hold it for them.

[MUSIC]

My name is Lorena. I'm from Philippines.

My name is Othaya Kante Saldado.

I'm from Sri Lanka.

My name is Thige.

I'm from Eritrea, Asmara.

My name is Flora and I'm from

Pablo, Mexico.

My name is Jason Gusman and

I am from the Philipinnes.

So my name is Pichai.

My name is Suchai.

[MUSIC]

I was promised a good job for the house

and didn't have to worry about anything.

She said, "you can come with me and work

with me in restaurant. I have restaurant.

I- I pay you alot of money."

I thought it was a great opportunity to

come over here and work in the

United State. Because everyone in the

Philippines like when they heard America

they wanna go- they wanna come here.

[MUSIC]

I wasn't able to talk to anybody. I was

forbidden to put one step out of the shop.

We sleep on the floor. Yes.

I feel numb because I don't know what do,

I don't know how to do it.

I had to work 17 hours a day,

seve- seven days a week.

I wasn't able to talk to my co-workers.

Sometime I feel like I wanna kill myself

because it was to painful like it's really

it's really like hurt- it's- it's really

like you know hurtful how you see-

how you see, um, treat me.

[MUSIC]

I don't know.

[MUSIC]

Where am I gonna go. I don't have anyone.

I don't have any money even though she

promise me to pay me like 150 dollars

a month but I did not get that money.

My trafficker often said that dogs have

more rights in the United States than

I did. She said, "if I kill a dog I would

get in trouble but if I kill you nobody

is going to know and nobody is going

to care.

She took my passport. I can go.

I feel afraid.

Because I don't know where to go.

No passport how can I go back to Thailand

Yeah. I- I don't know-

I don't know how to go.

I don't know friend. No friend.

Just friendly with in- in her house.

The trafficker said, if I tell anybody

what was going on, nobody will

believe me. And if I go to the police,

they will not believe me. They will put

me in jail and she- she knew where my

children were and I didn't want to risk

my children.

What she always said that you can't go

nowhere. You belong to me.

[MUSIC]

The day that I was escape, umm, the- the

woman who helped me like took me to CAST

the same day and uh, since then CAST

help me alot with, you know, shelter,

with food, with money, with anything that

I need to get on my feet.

They brought you like who was gonna help

you to talk or interpreter. Like if you

need something.

For the blanket, for the clothes,

they give me alot.

[LAUGHTER]

Encouraging me to do something like

encouraging me like to go to school.

And the CAST help you to know your right.

And they- they make me very strong and

independent person.

CAST open door for me. CAST take me

at Alexandra House. CAST take me school,

now I speak English alittle bit.

CAST has, uh, helped me through

everything.

[MUSIC]

When I spoke like with the congressman

or with senator like when we went

to Washington DC. I feel like am very

important person.

We went to Sacramento and we got the

regulations passed. So now thanks to the

green card campaign, we are, uh, green

card holders.

I want to be the voice of, um, the fixer

because I know how it feels to be in

that situation.

In this country, you know, people has

a voice no matter who you are even though

you are a slave.

We all know we've been- we've been, uh,

been enslaved and now we survived.

Even though we passed like, but we always

talk about that and we're still sharing.

[MUSIC]

Free it's, uh, it means alot to me. Like-

like when you're free, when you became

a free, you- it feels like you're

a new born child.

Freedom for me is really special thing

for me because I never have freedom

in my life.

When I- when I was free, I was scared but

I was so happy.

Am happy now because I have everything.

I go to school. I have job.

I have green card. I- I- everything.

I'm happy.

Yes, I love freedom. Anybody love freedom.

I- am proud of myself. I was a slave

and now I'm survivor, I'm activist and

I'm a mother.

Freedom is everything to me. This is,

you know, everyone deserve to have a

freedom. It's free.

I wanna be part of it. I wanna be part

of the mission to end slavery. I wanna be

part of the making of the history of end

slavery for good.

And the CAST, uh, help me become

an independent- become like a real man.

[MUSIC]

At CAST we have the previlege of working

directly with victims, who then transform

and become survivors after going through

our critical programs.

And that's important because we are able

to use those experiences and help

survivors become leaders and powerful

agents of change to impact

systemic social change.

Who better to inform us how to end modern

day slavery than survivors themselves.

When survivors tell us they're now happy,

we know we've done our job at CAST.