Thursday morning, our first meeting was with a young woman about my age whom, for safety reasons, I’ll identify as L. We met her outside in the middle of the city, where she hopped in our van. I immediately liked her. She was intelligent and witty, and when we asked her where we should go for our meeting, she directed us toward a cafe in a nice part of town and said she had a surprise for us.
We took seats at a table under the patio as the sun was beginning to warm the new spring air. We ordered a round of espresso (tea for me) and began to make introductions. Tom went first. Then Brad. Then me. Then Simon, as he set up his camera so we could film L’s story and hear about what her organization does.
Our waitress, a young, pretty girl who surprisingly spoke enough English that I could actually communicate I wanted green tea instead of black, brought us our drinks. L took a sip of her cappuccino and asked us if we were ready for our surprise.
After a day like we had Wednesday, we were ready for anything.
“The reason I brought you to this cafe is because there is a story here. When I first moved back to Moldova, I came here with a friend. It seems like a totally normal restaurant.”
I looked around. It had nice tables and chairs, and the shops across the street were for designer clothes. I didn’t feel like I was in a developing country. I could have been on a street in Paris, for all I knew.
“As I spent time here, I learned that this cafe is the main hub for girls that are trafficked out of Moldova.”
Our team sat back stunned. Even our driver, who has worked in the social sector of Moldova for years, was shocked.
L continued to tell us a similar story to what we have heard regarding young girls and the need for jobs. A majority of Moldovans emigrate out of the country for work because the unemployment rate here is so high. Girls out of the ninth grade (the required level of completion), when coming from abusive, alcoholic or unattended homes, as well as orphans, will look for jobs.
Foreigners actually own this cafe (amongst others) and will hire the girls as waitresses or cooks or to clean. They learn just enough of several languages over the course of a few months to a year, and are promised promotions or transfers in restaurants in other European countries.
And they get trafficked.
I immediately wanted to take our waitress and throw her into our van, knowing what almost-certain fate awaited her.
