Fozia* tragically lost her mother at a young age, leaving her and her siblings solely in their father’s care. Their father eventually remarried and, try as she might, Fozia could not get along with her father’s new wife. Wanting to escape some unfair hardships, Fozia and some of her siblings left home to live with her grandparents. She was 13 years old at the time. 

Reunited with their grandparents, the children found happiness again. Fozia loved spending time with her grandparents, playing with her siblings, and attending school. Life was good!

One day, Fozia’s father came to visit. He told her stories of prosperity and wealth in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Unbeknownst to her, many people in Fozia’s hometown, such as her father, unwittingly encourage girls to move away to find work and send money back to support their families. Parents are usually deceived by a trafficker and are unaware of the true consequences of sending their children away.

All Fozia had to do, according to her father, was venture to the city and secure employment as a domestic worker. With hopes of making a better life for her and her siblings, Fozia bravely embarked on the long journey to the capital.

Once Fozia reached the city, her expectations were shattered as she soon realized that she would not live the rags-to-riches life that her father had led her to believe. Instead, her employer was cruel and abusive. Seldom was she provided with the proper care or food that she needed, and her assigned tasks were physically overwhelming for a child of her age. She felt alienated and trapped as she could not speak Amharic—one of 88 languages spoken in Ethiopia—and had no way to ask for help when she needed it the most.

One day, Fozia’s employer became enraged with her when a pot in the home was broken and he falsely accused her of breaking it. He retaliated by throwing her out onto the street and tossed her belongings out the window. Fozia felt helpless, all alone in a city of 3.4 million that spoke a language she couldn’t understand, and with no idea how to get back home to her grandparents’ house. Bewildered and afraid, Fozia began to wander the streets.

Eventually she was found by a woman who was selling goods on the street. Luckily a translator was nearby and was able to breach the communication gap between Fozia and the woman. Soon, the woman came to realize what Fozia had endured and called the police.