Change.org Reader, Survivor Finds Justice After 10 Years

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-08-21 04:22:00 -0700
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Even in the darkness that human trafficking casts over the world, we occasionally find a bright ray of light.  That ray shone on me today from a survivor named Privilege, whom I have been very lucky to correspond with.   

Privilege first contacted me last March, hoping to find a way to share her story with the world.  She had been brought to the U.S. by a husband who brutally abused her.  And against all odds, she had managed to escape that abuse and ask for justice.  Yet years later, she was still waiting for the U.S. government to grant her a U Visa, which would give her temporary legal status and work eligibility in the United States for up to 4 years.  Without that visa, Privilege couldn't get a job to support her children.  She couldn't truly feel free.  She asked me to publish her story and I did, because it needed to be told.

Today, after an almost decade-long struggle, Privilege received the news that she was a U visa recipient, and her new life in America could begin in full.  She says,

Today my attorney called me to inform me that I am now a U Visa recipient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can now earn a living for myself and decide how my life will go!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting two months short of ten years for this moment. There is a God out there and He has smiled on me! Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and called and wrote to USCIS on my behalf. A new day has dawned. I hope and pray that the waiting period will be even less for those that follow in my steps!

Good luck to you, Privilege, and to your family.  I know having overcome so much, you will continue to do great things.  We at Change.org are happy to have been of service to you in your quest for justice.   

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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