Australia
New Zealand
United KingdomWhen her mother left to work abroad, Maria felt listless and disconnected. Her father had already left the family years earlier; despite going to live with her grandmother, she said, “It felt like there was no one to take care of us.”
The Filipino girl soon found she could fill the void with a daring friend group. The late nights and alcohol-fuelled parties distracted her not only from school but also from the sense of abandonment left by her parents’ absence.
That’s when she met Pat.
Despite being a few years older than her, Pat was charismatic and ingratiating in a very non-threatening way. “He was friendly and cheerful at first, and we got along fine in the beginning,” Maria said.
I had no idea what kind of person he really was.”
Maria at the time of her interview
An empty solution
As they got to know each other better, Pat brought up his philosophy that boyfriends were a waste of time. Why go through all the effort of nurturing a relationship when there were men who would pay for Maria’s company? Pat had helped many of his friends earn extra money this way, and they were living as they pleased: untethered and flush with cash.
Maria bought into Pat’s pitch.
Things seemed okay as long as she was with Pat and the other girls. But like other victims we’ve rescued, once she was away from the parties and the encouraging influence of her friends, cracks spider-webbed through her false contentment.
I realized that money can’t buy the happiness you really want,” she said.
The cash came with a terrible price tag: “It was at the cost of my self-respect as a woman.”
It’s important to note that Maria began feeling this way without any outside influence—those around her were all acting as though this was “normal.”
Pat had groomed her into accepting money for sex, and her friends were all so immersed in the lifestyle that they considered it fine. And yet, despite what everyone was telling her, Maria felt something was wrong.
I wanted to change not because of what others thought of me, but for myself,” she said.
When it comes to sexual exploitation, wanting out and getting out can feel miles apart. Even as they create dependency, traffickers like Pat carefully foster the mindset that intrinsic worth is tied up in their victims’ sexuality.
It made the idea of escape nearly unthinkable for Maria. “I felt hopeless, like I was trapped in that situation,” Maria said.
A gradual change
Rescue came in the midst of this internal turmoil. While on a job with other exploited girls, 15-year-old Maria was approached by undercover agents who told her that she was being rescued. She and the others were taken back to the Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to begin their recovery.
The shift didn’t come easily. After so long under Pat’s influence, the survivors were reluctant to give up what freedom they had to begin the healing process. “When we first got to the DSWD, we didn’t behave well because we couldn’t accept what was happening. We even ran away…” said Maria.
After returning to the shelter, Maria slowly began to make progress. When her mother returned from working abroad, Maria said that she really helped her take recovery seriously. After six months in the shelter, she returned home and resumed her studies. Maria found contentment with her new, more peaceful life: “I was happy because I was back with my parents and bonding with them. Slowly, I realized it was better to stay home than to go out….”
She’s developed a passion for helping other girls who are bound in the same mental prison that held her captive. “I see that many young people today are influenced by trends, thinking they’re happy, but one day they’ll regret their actions,” Maria said. “They don’t have enough guidance anymore and think they can make their own decisions.”
She credits positive influences, such as her mother and rescuers, with guiding her into a better future today.
I’m really grateful to… everyone who’s helped us because, without them, I don’t know where we would be now.”
The difference rescue makes
With their support, Maria hopes to one day become a flight attendant, seeing the world while providing for her family. “I want my family to experience things we haven’t experienced before… I want to achieve success not just for myself but for my family as well.”
Maria is a new person: thoughtful, driven, compassionate and relentless in doing what’s best for herself and her family. But without intervention, she thinks she’d still be stuck. “If we hadn’t been rescued that day, I think I’d still be in that situation,” she said. “… I had already lost respect for myself. If we hadn’t been rescued, nothing would have changed.”
Rescue is like a hand reaching into the darkness, offering hope where there once was none. We can’t take credit for all Maria has accomplished or will achieve in the future, but without rescue, she may have never even had the opportunity to excel. Will you reach out to a suffering child? Fill out the form below to rescue a child today.