It is an all too familiar story: A young girl with hopes for a better life and a brighter future; a girl desperately trying to escape the poverty she has experienced her whole life, the violence and abuse that surrounds her day in and day out; The girl is introduced to a man who promises her that he can turn her dreams into reality.
A man who appears to truly care for her, who tells her he loves her, and that all she needs to do is trust him and everything will be alrightโฆ and so she doesโฆshe obeys when he takes half-naked pictures of her and posts them online.
She continues to believe that this is something he is doing for her, for them-- when he convinces her to have sex in exchange for moneyโjust once, and then twice-- when she says no he violently beats and threatens her.
Throughout it all, she tells herself that this is all her fault, and all she needs to do is listen to him to make him happyโฆbecause he loves her, even if it means sleeping with up to five different men a day.
This is not the story of a South-East Asian girl being sold in the streets of Thailand or the brothels of Vietnam. This is the story of a year old girl who lived here, in this beautiful state โ Montana โ Big Sky Country. It is the story of human trafficking; a human rights issue that knows no geographic location, ethnicity, race, or gender.
