Sex trafficking survivor shares story in hopes to raise awareness about trauma, healing for victims
WESTCHESTER, New York (WABC) -- A sex trafficking survivor is now speaking out to raise awareness about trauma and healing for those who are victims.
Maria Trusa was 9 years old -- and living in the Dominican Republic -- when she woke up one day and saw her father choose between her and her brothers to sacrifice to another man.
"I grab my little brother from my father's arms and I said, 'You're not taking him,'" she said.
What happened next? Most couldn't survive, much less talk about all five decades later.
"He forced me to drink a bottle of whiskey at the age of nine," Trusa recalled. "Non-stop. I could have died just from the alcohol poison."
Trusa said she was brutally raped and couldn't walk after.
"I went to the bathroom, and I just crumbled," she said.
Somehow, Trusa survived and came to the United States at age 15. A business owner in Westchester, she has become an advocate and author and rewritten her life story to help those who suffered the same horrific experiences.
"It's like there's a normalization of sex trafficking and sexual abuse because we don't talk about it," Trusa acknowledged.
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and it is dedicated to educating the public about the problem in all its complexity. The U.S. State Department is now promoting what it calls, the "3P Paradigm," a framework for preventing such crimes, protecting victims and prosecuting the traffickers. And it couldn't come at a more vital time, as the alternatives for human trafficking trauma are a vicious and costly cycle.
"It becomes a transgenerational trauma that is passed along," said Trusa. "It affects all of us. It affects the economy, it affects health care."
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse, there are resources to help-- including the RAINN organization -- a non-profit with several services for victims -- or the national sex assault hotline -- at 800-656-HOPE.
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. In partnership with Goya Cares, Eyewitness News is bringing you stories raising awareness about the issue.
RELATED | Center for Safety & Change helps human trafficking victims in New York, New Jersey
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