16-year-old Mekdes*, from Ethiopia, was exploited and raped many times by her trafficker, who then tried to buy her silence.
But she would not be swayed. She stood her ground. She faced her trafficker in court. Her courageous testimony helped achieve a seven-year prison sentence for the man.
Mekdes said: “When my family sold me, God gave me a new family: Hope for Justice. They believed me when no-one did. They trusted me. They stood beside me. And because of them, I could stand in that courtroom and fight.”
Mekdes was trafficked by a neighbour to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, where she worked as a babysitter and servant for a couple with three children. Her female employer was kind, promising to send her to school.
However, the woman’s husband tried to persuade Mekdes into a relationship with him. She bravely refused. But over the next 18 months, he then raped Mekdes repeatedly. She eventually told his wife, who took her to a doctor. The husband was then arrested.
Mekdes returned home, where her family were initially supportive. But then a month later, the man was released on bail. He began a long campaign to persuade Mekdes’ family to drop their case against him, offering them the relatively enormous sum of 300,000 Ethiopian Birr (around £1,400 or $1,800). He visited her parents again and again, and they eventually agreed.
But Mekdes refused to be bought. She declared: “He took my childhood. He took my dignity.” Her parents turned against her. Mekdes went to live with her older sister, who took her back to the police. She was then referred to the team at one of our Lighthouse centres.
On arrival, Mekdes had low self-esteem, cried easily and could not trust anyone. Over the next eight months, our team helped her to begin processing her trauma. They empowered her with coaching to prepare her for the trial. We also provided counselling and life skills training.
Mekdes gradually became more confident, later becoming a leader among her peers in the Lighthouse. She organised group activities and encouraged the other children to learn about their rights. She also loved dancing and painting.
We remain in contact with Mekdes, who is now settled with her sister and looking forward to returning to school.
*Name has been changed
