12-year-old who was trafficked, abused, made homeless and hit by a car – now free
12-year-old Soliana* was forced into domestic work, abused, and was then hit by a car after being made homeless – but she is now safe with her family thanks to Hope for Justice.
Soliana had lost her mother when she was younger, and her father, a farmer in Ethiopia, was struggling to feed his three children. When a woman offered to look after Soliana in the city and provide a good education, Soliana’s father eventually agreed.
But Soliana was then forced to work up to 19 hours a day in the woman’s home for free, and was continually beaten. She was not allowed to go to school. Eventually the woman ordered Soliana to leave, forcing her to live on the street; cold, hungry and alone. She was certain she was going to die.
Soliana was then hit by the car, and her ankle was seriously injured. The police took her to hospital where she had surgery before being taken in by one of our Lighthouses. After her traumatic experiences, Soliana sometimes got into fights, and at other times was depressed.
Our dedicated team cared for Soliana for four months, providing counselling, as well as life skills and catch-up education classes. Gradually she began to recover, and then started joining in and making friends. She even sang beautiful songs for the other children.
Our team also worked hard to find Soliana’s father, and arranged for them to speak on the phone. And much to the delight of father and daughter, our team then reunited them for good. Soliana is now looking forward to going back to school.
*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the survivor
