As the staff of the office that produces this report, we are regularly exposed to the myriad forms of trafficking that capture the aspirations and extinguish the dignity of so many, and we see the plight of the victims who experience the worst of human greed. Amidst this collage of misery a particularly heinous crime stands out: the sexual slavery of society’s most precious members, its children. Earlier this year, we learned of a particularly compelling personal story.

In an African city, Ama, a young girl in her early adolescent years was found running from a brothel were she and other children had been subjected to repeated rapes—as many as five per hour—for the profit of the brothel manager. A line of “customers” waited nightly, paying the equivalent of $3 to rob her of her childhood, one rape at a time. When given the chance to escape, thanks to a police raid, she emerged crying and afraid of her future. An NGO worker looked into her childish eyes and tried to comfort her by saying: “You don’t ever have to do this again; you will be taken to a safe place and be cared for.” Ama remained mute out of uncertainty and fear. When told she could go to school, Ama’s eyes brightened with hope: “Do you mean it? Can I really go to school?” She clutched the NGO worker, who assured Ama that she would. Yet later, as the result of inadequate care and security, she likely disappeared from a shelter and back into the clutches of traffickers. Her whereabouts and welfare today are unknown.