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Human Trafficking Survivor on Awareness and Prevention

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 TO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Mojabeng Mosebo is a wife and mother of four living in Lesotho, Africa. In 2009, she and her husband were struggling financially. Mojabeng was desperate to help turn their situation around. When her cousin invited her to apply for a traveling sales position for a successful clothing store, Mojabeng was excited!  She and her cousin, along with a few other women, met representatives at the mall to interview for the positions. Mojabeng, her cousin, and another woman were chosen for the jobs. Mojabeng was told that her flight was booked, and she was taken to her hotel room and told they would leave the next day. She was also given a new phone.

Something inside Mojabeng felt suspicious. When she tried to open her hotel room door, she couldn’t. It was locked from the outside. Afraid, she called her cousin who made excuses saying that the men were trying to impress them with new phones, etc. Mojabeng then realized that her cousin was in on it too. When Mojabeng called her husband to tell him what was going on, he answered by immediately telling her that their daughters were expelled from school because they couldn’t afford the fees. At that moment, Mojabeng decided not to tell him and continued with the job.  

At the airport, she was told the truth: She would be flying to Japan as a drug mule (crystal meth). “I boarded the plane. I was so, so afraid. The person who had recruited me knows my home, knows my children, knows everything about me. And I’m thinking, if I don’t go through with this, they might harm my family,” Mojabeng explains. They didn’t force her physically. Rather, they used manipulation, fear, and intimidation to get Mojabeng to go along with their plan. 

When she got to Japan, her bags were searched, and she was immediately detained and questioned. First, she was told she would serve 12 years in prison, but she and her lawyer appealed eventually getting her sentence reduced to three years. Even though the main judge believed she was coerced, the fact that she wasn’t forced on the plane with a gun to her head, influenced his decision. While in prison, Mojabeng was told when to get up, when to speak, go to work, eat, etc. Her every move was controlled. She asked if there was a born-again Christian who could meet with her once a week. This was never allowed before, but the prison found someone to come and meet with her weekly where they could read the Bible and pray together. It was a bright spot that helped her survive those dark days. Upon her release in 2012, when she returned home, finding her new normal was difficult. “It took me a while to figure out how to make decisions for myself again,” she explains. 

BEAUTIFUL DREAM SOCIETY

Mojabeng had never heard of human trafficking before this happened to her. She decided to bring awareness to others by going on radio shows and sharing her story with anyone that would listen. In 2017, she began working with the Beautiful Dream Society and was promoted to director in 2019. 

For over 10 years, Beautiful Dream Society has been fighting human trafficking in the country of Lesotho and addressing the heartbreaking orphan problem. They have forged strong community relationships, both in Oklahoma where Beautiful Dream Society was founded by Jennifer Crow and in Lesotho, with several organizations which include Orphan’s Promise and CBN Africa. So far, they have helped nearly 277 victims of human trafficking and child victims of sexual assault in Lesotho, as well as 57 victims in Oklahoma.

Lesotho has around 300,000 orphaned children due to the AIDS epidemic, creating a higher risk for human trafficking. Since 2013 Beautiful Dream Society has given full-time foster care to 26 children by providing them with medical, relational, and educational needs while also giving them a safe, loving environment with caring house mothers.

Beautiful Dream Society has accomplished much with very little without owning its buildings. Thankfully, in 2021 the government of Lesotho in partnership with the International Organization of Migration and the Government of Japan provided a property where their Anti-Trafficking Shelter can operate rent-free for the next 10 years! Now, they are working on securing buildings for their Children’s Homes.
 

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About The Author

Angell Vasko
Angell
Vasko

Angell Vasko joined CBN in 1999. Acting as Floor Producer and Guest Coordinating Producer for The 700 Club, Angell briefs the cohosts before the live show and acts as a liaison between the control room and show talent during the broadcast.