Dan’s Story

“This is my best day. Seeing those chickens makes me overjoyed and all my fear and doubt has completely disappeared. I just want to send my sincere thanks to Hagar. Dan and I are so lucky to have Hagar’s support. I can never thank you enough.”
– Dan’s mother

What is the most precious moment of your life?

For Dan, it was her reunion with her mother after 17 years of being trafficked in China.

Dan’s father died when she was young so her mother worked hard to make ends meet for their family. Dan always tried to find more work to help her.

Aware of the family’s financial struggles, an opportunistic neighbour made a deal with a trafficker to prepare a trap to trick 15-year-old Dan into China.

Dan was promised a part-time job close to home with a high salary. Trusting the kindness of her neighbour, Dan accepted the offer with the pure thought of decreasing the burden on her mother’s shoulder.

Dan was trapped in a dark room and driven away in secret. By the time she saw the sun again, she was already sold to a brother in disguise at a massage parlour in China. There, the owner forced her to train as a masseuse and work as a prostitute to earn them money . Every time Dan said no or was too tired to serve customers, they beat her. The wounds on her body tell a story– each one representing a time she tried to stand on her dignity.

When Dan was caught trying to escape, the trafficker tortured her using a hamper to break her kneecap so she could no longer run away. Dan was almost paralysed for three months, struggling to walk. However, the pain fuelled her desire to gain freedom and find a way back home. On her fifth attempt she managed to escape, but was cheated by someone else and sold to another brothel. During her last attempt she walked for days. Despite her pain, she crossed forests and streams until she finally reached Vietnam. There, almost cheated again, the police intervened and called her family and she was finally able to be reunited with them.

Living in years of torture and torment, Dan experienced a high level of trauma that made it hard for her to stay focused or remember clearly. Her mind stopped at the age of 15 – the age she was trafficked. Through the local Women Union, Dan was referred to Hagar and joined our program. With the support from Hagar, Dan learns how to manage her emotions and starts remembering more things from the past. Suffering serious injuries caused her to limp and fall sick easily. Therefore, Hagar has provided her with medical support to ensure her health is stable.

Through Hagar Vietnam’s programme – The Whole Journey and IOM project, Dan’s family has received husbandry as their economic capital. Economic empowerment is a key factor to her and her mother’s ability to live a sustainable life.