Title: Searching For Marita
Author: Daniel Rome Levine
Origin: May 08 Readers Digest Page 91 ~ 96
"Searching for Marita". Basically, the summary of this story is about a person named Susana Trimaroo of Argentina who had set out to find her missing daughter, Maria de los Angeles Veron. Instead she discovered a shadowy world of human trafficking and forced prostitution.
In order to accomplish this difficult task, Susana even risked her own precious life. The biggest risk she had committed was to disguised herself as a prostitute. By doing this, she would be able to venture into seedy bars, asking girls if they had seen Marita or heard anything about her. Even though she knew that her life may just end one day because of what she is doing now, Suana still won't give up on searching for Marita. The bond between a mother and her child is just too impossible to break apart.
23-year-old daughter,Maria de los Angeles Veron went missing on April 3, 2002. Susana's nightmare began when Marita, as everyone called her, did not return from a morning doctor appointment. As the sun sets, Susana and her husband, Daniel Veron gotten worried and went to their local police station to file a missing persons report but unfortunately, they have to wait 72 hours before the police can open an investigation. In the end, Susana and Daniel decided to organise a search party and with about 50 relatives and friends of Marita, they blanketed Tucuman with handmade posters with Marita's photo and some contact phone number.
Even though everyone is hoping for good news about Marita, but life is just unfair as three days later, a man called saying that he had seen Marita being tackled while walking along a sidewalk. Two men jumped out and grabbed Marita and even though she fought hard to get away, she didn't succeed as they hit her and threw her into the back seat. The news just got worst when Daniel was being told by a young girl that she had seen Marita in a brothel in La Rioja. Because of this devastating news, Susana suspected that her daughter was being forced into prostitution.
Because of having resilience to find her daughter, Susana resorted to great risks like disguising as a prostitute, exhausting up all her savings, selling her house and two cars just to find her. By doing these sacrifices and showing single-minded obsession, it led to her and Daniel separating. Having such great determination in finding her missing daughter may be good but it also endangered her life and people around her. Soon after, this really came true as the bar owners and human traffickers would not let Susana off so easily. many hit-and-runs were attempted so as to kill Susana or silence her. Instead of being silence, Susana obtained more determination than ever and now, she participated in the campaign for preventing human trafficking more actively. Nowadays, many mothers who had their daughters being kidnapped away will come to Susana more often for help then going to the police. This shows how much Susana had committed in the prevention of human trafficking that people trust her more than the police in helping to find their daughters who are being kidnapped. Susana responded with great heart to each one of them and tried her best to help them.
By doing all these things, Susana had helped about 200 girls who are forced into prostitution to obtain back their freedom. Susana had also became one of the ten women who was selected to receive an international Women of Courage Award. In the end, Susana still couldn't find Marita but she said one thing and that is her mission is now no longer to search for just Marita but for all the girls who have disappeared in this country and to help and protect those who have been freed. Hurray for Susana and hope that she can find Marita and made the world a much peaceful and wonderful place.
Personally, I feel that the world need to have more people like Susana. She has a heart as pure as crystal. We need to be as kind as she is and also as heart loving as she is. In order to obtain this, we must also show resilience like she had. Susana had shown a great deal of resilience and determination in searching for her missing daughter, Marita. She had never think once about giving up and always shows confidence in everything she decided to do. Susana had also shown how strong the mother's love for her child is. She could go to such desperate measures in trying to save her kids. For instance, Susana even disguised as a prostitute and venture into bars so as to gather information about her daughter. Moreover, she had to risk her life as many human traffickers and pub owners were after her life; even the police refuse to help her as she was a powerless woman. I truly can't believe that the police think she is a powerless woman because what she done really impressed me and it is not only me, the world was also impressed by her. She had shown how strong a woman can be. This story not only shows the shadowy world of human trafficking and forced prostitution, it also shows how strong a mother's love is towards her child. I also feel sad for those girls that were being forced into prostitution because they were really pitiful. If they were willing by their own will, I have nothing to say but they were taken by their own will so I feel really sad for them. They were tortured by their employers and also their customers. Even though they are being force to show a happy face on the outside, on the inside they are crying bitterly. How could anyone be so evil and cold-hearted to separate the girls from their parents and let them experience such terrible labours. I wish that now, the world can be a much peaceful place and no one would ever need to be force into prostitution or human trafficking anymore! I also hope that everyone can shoe resilience in their life and never give up on whatever they try to achieve! Hurray for Susana!
One more thing to add, in October, Susana opened the Fundacion Maria de los Angeles Por la Lucha Contra la Trata de Personas in Tucuman and Buenos Aires. It helps victims of sex trafficking get medical and psychological treatment and job training, and provides food and shelter. Since she had done a part for the world, why don't we do the same? We can always try our best and one day we will succeed! Enjoy reading and do a part for the world!
Done by: Samuel Loh :D (CRAZY BUNCH ROXZ)
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