Not all modern day slaves are kidnapped, many are given away as payment for a debt by family members. Some in desperation to provide a better life for their children give them away as a last resort, naively believing things could not be worse. Once the transaction occurs all the assurances are gone. Even with verbal contracts as well as written, and yes many have contracts for visual flare; there is no fail safe that relatives sold will be seen again.
Remember, Not everyone speaks the native language of their destination nor is any contact information given and passports are taken away immediately upon arrival. Much like the slaves we have read about in books and seen in movies, these modern day slaves are kept from conversing with others, kept from reading or writing and kept hidden until needed.
Shyima was one such modern day slave who was literally kept in the dark.She was given away by her mother after her father fell ill. With the help from a maid recruiter, Shyima was sold to a wealthy Egyptian family.
Shyima was brought to the wealthy couple’s Tuscan house at 28 Pacific Grove, California. She was astonished to see such opulence. The couple did not waste time showing the young girl her new room, which was the garage. She was literally kept in the dark, after the bulb blew and was never replaced. Apparently it was $2.25 more than they wished to spend. The Ibrahims had children, who Shyima also cleaned up after. The children called her stupid and the Ibrahims addressed her as "shaghala"servant. Shyima was told to address them as Madame Amal and Hajj Nasser, which was a term of respect. She once attempted to wash her clothes in the washing machine, for which she was promptly slapped and reminded that her clothes were different as they were dirtier. She was given a bucket to wash her clothes in the garage. Shyima cooked, cleaned, washed dishes and did laundry. This was a huge house and neither parent worked nor cleaned.
All this labor cost the Ibrahims $45 a month. This is what Shyima was paid. Surely the Ibrahims did not pay for any of Shyima personal or hygienic products.
One of the neighbors remembers seeing Shyima, this small child, struggling over the dishes working as late as 12:00 in the morning.
One of the neighbors called the police after surmising that the girl had been living in the garage.
Shyima was prescribed medications and put in several foster homes. The couple was given prison sentences. The husband got 2 years and the wife received 22 months. The fine was $76,000 which was the equivalent of what Shyima would have earned at minimum wage. Shyima was finally adopted by Chuck and Jenny Hall of Beaumont, Calif. She still has pictures of her family in Egypt. She tries not to dwell on the past. She attends Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa where she hopes to become an ICE agent. She has a MySpace page that she frequently updates. Oh and since Mrs. Ibrahims release from prison; she remains silent and declines all interviews. She was last spotted dressed to impress, scurrying into her beautiful Louis IVX style apartment. Directly behind her, carrying groceries was a small girl, head bowed, dressed in an oversized T-shirt and dirty flip-flops, age unknown.
What a shame.
