Survivor Perspectives: Interview with "Coco"
Over these next weeks leading up to July 30’s World Day Against Human Trafficking, ECPAT-USA will be amplifying the voices of our Survivors’ Council on how the color of their skin has impacted their experiences as trafficking survivors. This second interview is with “Coco,” who was first trafficked at the age of 17 in all five boroughs of New York City, including on 42nd Street in Manhattan. (Responses have been condensed for space.)
How have you been feeling since the death of George Floyd?
I feel a little bit angry about it, as most people do. Not just because it’s another unjustified death, but more so because it’s taken people so long to say, “I’m so tired of it.” How many deaths did it take for, like, “wow?”. There have been so many deaths, this is not the first one, and now people are saying the Black community is being treated unfairly.
Have you had interactions with law enforcement?
When I was picked up a while back, they were sort of nasty, rude, toward my situations. I heard cops say, “they are prostitutes, they chose to do this,” instead of recognizing I did not have a choice to do this, that I might get hurt in this kind of situation.
It’s a process to see the judge. Before I was sent to sit on the benches, some of the lady cops were really nice, asking, “was anybody forcing you to do this?”. They tried more to listen to us. At that time, I wanted to speak up for myself, but I would have gotten hurt, so I said, “oh, no,” but I think that she knew it was not safe because I was cut up and had bruises on my face. She tried to go deeper, but I was afraid, and I respected her for asking.
It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. I could tell that she was genuine, not just a police officer, but it’s very hard to convince a victim that it’s just OK. At that time, I was too heavily influenced by my exploiter. It was not her. It was my fear. She did everything right, she asked me the right questions, not putting on the cuffs too tight.
If I could do it all over again, I definitely would have told her. She did a good job and I absolutely applaud her for that.
You mentioned that you believe sex trafficking happens in predominantly Black and Brown communities. Why do you think this is?
I think this has something to do with financial stability, economic wise. Black people are very oppressed. We don’t have connections to colleges, to certain opportunities...There are no opportunities for Black communities to accomplish their dreams.
I acknowledge that other cultures are oppressed as well. I am honestly stating the fact. I’m saying that there are White people, White children, White women being sex trafficked. Don’t discredit another culture. I’m not taking away the fact that it’s about Black people, but other races also carry similar trauma and stigmas.
What do you want people to know about your experiences and this current moment?
I don’t like to tell people what to do, but I would say that people need to realize, not just White people, but in general, you need to realize how privileged you are. You need to know that, if you were Black, you would be subject to certain stigmas. Who you are, what you bring, may not be done to you, but it is being done to others that is very unjust.
Despite how long it has taken everyone all over the world to realize that Black people need to be heard, I’m glad that they are listening. Black lives do matter.
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