Tuan and Ny's story
“I don’t know how old I was when I was sold. I just remember that I was small and that it happened many times. I want to blame my mother for what she did to me, but I don’t because she is my mother and we were too poor.”
Tuan, 13, and her younger sister, Ny, 9, are two of eight children who were born in Thailand but immigrated to Cambodia at a very young age. They never really knew their parents or their siblings as all were forced to work in different areas to help support their family. Tuan and Ny were sold—across borders back to Thailand— to a family who forced them to sell bracelets in front of nightclubs. The girls started work around 6 or 7 p.m. and stayed out alone all night.
They didn't come home again until around 5 a.m., nearly 12 hours later, and only if they had earned enough money. If not, they were beaten, their hair pulled, their heads bashed, and they were held submerged under water.
The Thai police eventually rescued Tuan and Ny and arrested their bosses. Shortly after their rescue they were taken to Tearfund’s partner, Hagar, and given clothes, shelter and an education. Today they are excelling in school and among the top five in their classes. In the future, Tuan wants to be a flight attendant, and Ny, a teacher. They want to have children who will be raised with an education, so that they will never fall into a trap like they experienced.