"Dacie" Age:14

The following excerpt is taken from the book Terrify No More, by Gary A. Haugen

Fourteen years old and on her school break, Dacie began looking for a summer job with her friend Diadra, so they could earn money to help their families.

One day a woman Dacie's mom knew came by and said Dacie could make good money working in a noodle shop in a neighboring country. Dacie eagerly discussed the opportunity with her family. Because they trusted the woman, and because she would be escorting Dacie and Diadra across the border herself, they all agreed it sounded too good for the girls to pass up.

Dacie and Diadra packed their essential belongings and left, carrying with them great expectations. They had no idea of the horrors that awaited them. When they approached the border, the woman met up with a stranger, a man wearing police-uniform pants. The hometown escort helped transfer their things into his car, which was equipped with a police radio.

The man drove them across the border into town, pulling up to a restaurant. He took the girls inside and introduced them to the female manager, who showed them to their room and immediately gave them new clothes to wear: string tops and short skirts.

When Dacie asked about the clothing, the manager said they needed to look sexy for the men who came, because they would be having sex with them.

Dacie and Diadra protested and said they wanted to go home.

The manager insisted they had no choice in the matter; their freedom had been purchased from the man who had delivered them, and they must pay that debt back by earning money from customers for sex.

The brothel manger then performed a horrible and amatuer gynecological exam on Dacie to determine [if] she was a virgin.

Now the [manager] saw before her not an innocent young girl terrified by the thought of having sex with strangers. Instead, she saw an opportunity to make extra cash from the customer who would pay a premium to rape Dacie for the first time. The woman was delighted with her good fortune. She put the word out that she was offering a virgin at her establishment for anyone who would pay the required price, more than $700 U.S. dollars.

Unfortunately for Dacie, they found a willing customer that very night for this fourteen-year old who had never even kissed anyone before. Shaking with fear, Dacie was taken into a room where the customer waited. When the man began to rape her, Dacie cried out so loudly in pain that the man complained about the service. The brothel keeper came in and strapped tape over Dacie's mouth to silence her screams so they wouldn't interfere with the customer's pleasure while he finished with her. But the tragic night wasn't over. Dacie was forced to have sex with seven more strangers that night. (chapter 12, p40-41)

In the world of child prostitution, Dacie's story is not uncommon. Dacie's story is the story of thousands of young girls in Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, China, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, the United States and many other countries around the world. Unlike countless young girls and boys, Dacie's story has an encouraging ending. Dacie was rescued by workers of International Justice Mission.

The SOLD Project exists to help rescue girls like Dacie out of a lifestyle of forced prostitution in Thailand, to provide aftercare for the young girls and boys rescued, and trafficking awareness classes in Thai communities to prevent children from ever ending up in the sex trade.

~Susan Tripi DeLano