HI. I'M CHARLIE BERENS, AND THIS IS "THE DARK SIDE OF."
TODAY WE'RE TAKING A LOOK INTO THE WORLD OF WORKING ABROAD.
SEEMS PRETTY SIMPLE, RIGHT? YOU HOP ON A PLANE.
YOU MAKE SOME CASH. YOU COME BACK.
BUT THAT LAST PART ISN'T ALWAYS SO EASY.
TODAY WE'RE GONNA MEET SULA SKILES,
A WOMAN WHO WAS LURED TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY
WITH THE PROMISE OF A GREAT JOB AND FANTASTIC PAY.
IT JUST FELT LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE.
BUT AFTER ARRIVING, SHE FOUND OUT
SHE WAS BOUGHT AS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT
FOR A BILLIONAIRE AND HIS GIRLFRIEND.
I JUST REALIZED, "I'VE BEEN LIED TO,
"I'VE BEEN TRICKED, I'VE BEEN COERCED
INTO A SITUATION THAT I HAD NO IDEA
THAT I WAS GETTING INTO."
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TAKE US BACK TO THAT TIME IN YOUR LIFE.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING? WHERE WERE YOU LIVING?
SO, ABOUT 14 YEARS AGO,
I WAS A VERY YOUNG AND NAIVE MODEL.
I'D JUST GOT HIRED WITH A MODEL-MANAGEMENT COMPANY
AND WAS INVITED TO THIS BILLIONAIRE'S HOME FOR AN EVENT.
AND UPON LEAVING, I WAS APPROACHED BY HIM
AND JUST, "HI. THANK YOU FOR COMING.
YOU KNOW, I HOPE I GET TO SEE YOU AGAIN."
I DIDN'T REALLY THINK TOO MUCH OF IT.
A COUPLE WEEKS LATER, I WAS CONTACTED BY HIS PEOPLE,
AND I WAS OFFERED A MODELING JOB WITH HIS CLOTHING LINE.
AND THEY WERE GONNA SEND ME TO ANOTHER COUNTRY,
ALL EXPENSES PAID.
NOW, HOLD WERE YOU AT THIS POINT?
-I WAS 20 YEARS OLD. -SO, YOU WERE 20.
AND YOU'D BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY FOR HOW LONG?
OH, GOSH, MONTHS, LIKE, JUST BRAND-NEW.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO GET THIS KIND OF ACCEPTANCE
JUST A COUPLE MONTHS IN?
I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF
WHAT I'D BEEN HOPING FOR AND WORKING SO HARD FOR.
I GOT ON THE PLANE WITH A ONE-WAY TICKET
AND HAD TOTAL CONFIDENCE
THAT I WOULD BE SHORTLY RETURNING HOME
TO THE UNITED STATES.
ARRIVING TO THE AIRPORT, I REMEMBER, LIKE,
GOING AND FIXING MY MAKEUP
AND MAKING SURE THAT I WAS,
YOU KNOW, PRESENTABLE AFTER A LONG FLIGHT.
AND I WAS PICKED UP IN A LUXURIOUS VEHICLE
AND, LIKE, WHISKED AWAY TO THIS RESORT.
AND IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL. IT WAS PARADISE.
THE EXCITEMENT CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT
WHEN I REALIZED THAT THE ROOM THAT I WAS TAKEN INTO --
JUST SOMETHING DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT.
AS I WAS LOOKING AROUND,
I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS PERSONAL BELONGINGS THERE,
AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, HE CAME IN.
HE STARTED GRABBING MY BODY AND GRABBING MY CURVES,
AND HE YANKED ME INTO HIM AND JUST BASICALLY SAID,
"OH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF FUN."
HE TOLD ME, "GET READY. WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE EVENT."
WE WERE TAKEN TO A NIGHTCLUB,
MYSELF AND A FEW OTHER GIRLS.
THERE WAS NO STEP AND REPEAT.
THERE WAS NO ASSISTANT BRINGING ME INTO A BACK ROOM
TO START SIZING ME FOR CLOTHES.
THERE WAS NO CLOTHING. THERE WAS NO MEDIA.
THERE WAS NO REPRESENTATION OF THE CLOTHING AT ALL.
THIS EVENT THAT I WAS COMING TO MODEL AT
WAS JUST A NIGHTCLUB.
YOU KNOW, AS WE WERE SEATED,
ONE OF THE GIRLS PULLED ME CLOSE TO HER
RIGHT WHEN HE STEPPED AWAY.
SHE SAID, "I DON'T WANT THE SAME THING TO HAPPEN TO YOU
"THAT HAPPENED TO THE GIRL THAT JUST LEFT.
SHE WAS RAPED. SHE WAS BEATEN."
SHE SAID, "JUST BE GOOD. JUST BE GOOD."
AND THAT WAS THE MOMENT
I REALIZED THAT I WAS IN A REALLY BAD SITUATION
AND I HAD NO WAY OUT OF IT.
I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL PLAN ON MY PHONE
BECAUSE I WAS THAT CONFIDENT THAT I WOULD BE SAFE
ON THIS MODELING ASSIGNMENT.
THE PROPERTY ITSELF HAD A SECURITY CHECKPOINT,
SO IT WASN'T LIKE I COULD JUST RUN OFF BY MYSELF.
HIS PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS WATCHING.
I WAS REALLY TERRIFIED OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO ME
IF I BROKE THE RULES.
THERE APPEARED TO BE NO WAY OUT.
YOU KNOW, THAT NIGHT, AS WE WERE BROUGHT BACK
TO THIS LUXURIOUS RESORT,
I WAS FORCED TO -- TO SLEEP WITH THIS MONSTER.
YOU FOUND OUT AT ONE POINT
THAT YOU WERE PURCHASED FOR A PRESENT?
I WALKED INTO HIS OFFICE
AND KINDLY ASKED HIM
IF I COULD GET A TICKET HOME.
AND IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT THAT HE TOLD ME,
"NO, YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
"I BOUGHT YOU AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR MY GIRLFRIEND.
"YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE.
"YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO GO ANYWHERE
"BECAUSE SHE'S ON HOLIDAY WITH HER FAMILY,
AND WHEN SHE RETURNS, YOU'RE GONNA DO WHAT I BOUGHT YOU FOR."
THERE WAS THIS ONE NIGHT
WHERE I WAS CALLED TO HIS BEDROOM
WITH THESE TWO OTHER GIRLS THAT WERE BRAND-NEW.
AND IT WAS HORRIFIC.
AND I JUST REMEMBER
AFTER THIS MONSTER HAD BASICALLY HAD HIS FILL,
I WAS JUST COMFORTING THE GIRLS THAT WERE CRYING
AND JUST SITTING WITH THEM
'CAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY'D BEEN RAPED BY HIM.
THE NEXT MORNING, I WAS REALLY SURPRISED
BECAUSE THESE TWO GIRLS -- THEY GOT TO GO HOME.
HOW LONG WAS THIS WHOLE PERIOD OF TIME?
I WAS ONLY THERE FOR THREE WEEKS,
BUT IT FELT LIKE MUCH LONGER
BECAUSE EVERY DAY I WAS BEING RAPED.
THERE WAS NOBODY THAT WAS TRYING TO TRACK ME DOWN OR FIND ME
OR EVEN IN DISTRESS THAT I WAS GONE.
I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT BY CONVINCING THIS MAIN GIRLFRIEND
THAT I WOULD STAY CONNECTED WITH HER
IF SHE COULD SOMEHOW GET ME A TICKET HOME.
SO, AS SOON AS YOU
GET THAT TICKET BACK TO THE U.S. AND YOU LAND,
WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?
I DID NOT CALL THE POLICE.
AND WHETHER CONSCIOUSLY OR SUBCONSCIOUSLY,
THE ENTIRE EVENT GOT COMPLETELY SUPPRESSED AND DISCONNECTED.
I STARTED LIVING AS IF I HAD NEVER BEEN TRAFFICKED,
AS IF I'D NEVER BEEN RAPED,
AND AS IF I'D NEVER EXPERIENCED
ALL OF THE VILE THINGS THAT HE DID TO MY BODY.
IT WAS COMPLETELY ERASED FROM MY MEMORY.
AND THEN WHAT WAS THE EVENT THAT BROUGHT IT BACK OUT?
I WAS SPEAKING AT A WOMEN'S CONFERENCE,
AND I WAS SHARING MY LIFE STORY
TO INSPIRE WOMEN AND BRING HOPE
THAT THEY CAN OVERCOME, THEY CAN SURVIVE.
AND AFTER SPEAKING AT THAT EVENT AND SEEING MANY TEARS
AND MANY WOMEN THAT WERE MOVED AND FINDING HEALING,
I JUST HAD THIS MOMENT
WHERE I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T SHARE.
I REALIZED THAT THIS IS PART OF MY LIFE
THAT I WAS GONNA GIVE AWAY, TOO,
THAT I WOULD GIVE THIS PART OF MY LIFE AWAY
SO THAT -- THAT SOMEONE ELSE COULD GET HOPE
AND THAT SOMEONE ELSE COULD SURVIVE,
SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE COULD FIND HEALING.
WHEN YOU FINALLY DID REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED,
DID YOU TAKE ANY STEPS TO TALK WITH THE POLICE
OR TO FIND SOME SORT OF RECOURSE FOR JUSTICE?
WELL, IT'S REALLY HARD FOR ME TO GET INTO DETAIL
IN ANSWERING THAT QUESTION.
I HAVE REPORTED THIS.
BUT THIS MAN HAS APPEARED TO BE PRETTY UNTOUCHABLE,
EVEN OVER THE LAST 14 YEARS.
IN THE ME TOO MOVEMENT,
WE'VE SEEN TOP PEOPLE DO THE EXACT SAME THING,
WHERE THERE ARE ACCUSATIONS BUILDING UP FOR YEARS
AND NOTHING HAPPENS BECAUSE THEY HAVE MONEY,
BECAUSE THEY'RE BUYING PEOPLE OFF,
BECAUSE THEY HAVE POWER AND THEY HAVE INFLUENCE.
DO YOU HAVE HOPE
THAT HE WILL ONE DAY BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE?
THERE ARE SEVERAL ACCUSATIONS
THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST HIM OVER THE YEARS,
AND HE HAS NOT BEEN BROUGHT TO JUSTICE YET.
I DO BELIEVE THAT HIS DAY IS COMING,
BUT UNTIL THEN,
SHARING DETAILS ABOUT WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE DID TO ME
AND CONNECTING HIS NAME,
EVEN PUBLICLY WHEN I SPEAK ABOUT IT --
THE RISK IS DEATH.
I COULD DIE. MY FAMILY COULD DIE.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE OUT THERE
WHO COULD BE IN THIS SITUATION?
WHAT RED FLAGS CAN THEY LOOK OUT FOR?
ANYTIME SOMEONE IS BEING OFFERED A JOB IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
WITH A ONE-WAY TICKET,
THAT'S A MASSIVE RED FLAG,
NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE JOB APPEARS TO BE.
HERE IN AMERICA, WHAT WE SEE WITH SEX TRAFFICKING
IS MANY TIMES IT HAPPENS
WITH, LIKE, A BOYFRIEND,
WHERE IT SEEMS TO BE THIS GROOMING PROCESS
OF JUST BEING, YOU KNOW, IN LOVE.
AND THEN ONE DAY, THERE IS THIS SWITCH THAT HAPPENS
AND A GIRL OR BOY IS BEING TOLD,
"I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL OF THIS STUFF.
"NOW YOU HAVE TO GO OUT THERE,
AND YOU HAVE TO DO THESE THINGS FOR ME."
ANYTIME THAT YOU'RE BEING ISOLATED
AND CUT OFF FROM PEOPLE,
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A POTENTIAL THERE FOR DANGER,
AND THAT'S USUALLY THE FIRST STEP,
IS GROOMING AND ISOLATION.
IF YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE
IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU'RE BEING FORCED
TO DO THINGS SEXUALLY THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO
FOR THE FINANCIAL GAIN OF SOMEONE THAT YOU'RE WITH,
YOU CAN CALL THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE.
YOU CAN EVEN TEXT THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE FOR HELP.
AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GET THE SPECIALIZED HELP THAT THEY NEED,
EVEN FOR AFTER CARE, AS WELL.
THOSE ARE GREAT TIPS.
AND FOR PEOPLE TO SEE THIS,
YOU'RE HELPING JUST COUNTLESS PEOPLE
JUST BY HEARING THE STORY THAT YOU'VE SHARED.
SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.
THANKS FOR BEING SO VULNERABLE AND SO OPEN WITH IT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU HEAR THAT STORY
AND JUST NOT BE BLOWN AWAY.
AND THE CRAZY THING TO REMEMBER IS,
THOUGH SULA GOT OUT, THERE ARE SO MANY MORE,
COUNTLESS VICTIMS WHO WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY.
BUT IF SULA SHARING HER STORY HELPS JUST ONE PERSON
NEVER GET INTO THAT SITUATION TO BEGIN WITH,
THEN THIS WAS ALL WORTH IT.
I'M CHARLIE BERENS, AND THIS IS "THE DARK SIDE OF."
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