By Samuel Sukhnandan
Fabiana (not real name), who lived in poverty for most of her life in Venezuela, felt she had found the right escape when she was contacted by a friend in Guyana about a job offer. She received an initial message on Facebook and was happy to share the news with those at home. But it would turn out to be the total opposite of what she was promised.
The enthusiastic 22-year-old resident of San Felix, Venezuela did not hesitate to respond to the message. In fact, she didn’t even think twice before saying yes to the job offer to work in a retail store in a country that is becoming popular owing to its mining activity and its massive oil discoveries. The message came from an old high school friend (Rayli).
But she was duped into coming to Guyana. Her journey to the only English-speaking South American country ended with her being locked away in a hotel room for days, before she was finally taken in to the Guyanese jungle to work in the mines as a sex worker. (Read full story)
