Human trafficking continues to take a major toll on society as a whole, and the public has heard many shocking reports from all around the world in recent years.
Just recently, Leticia “Letty” Serrano, a 15-year-old girl from Houston, Texas, has reportedly taken her life after she was rescued from a sex trafficking ring.
The teenager was left with deep mental scars as a result of the ordeal and reportedly could not endure the stress and pain anymore.
Serrano’s family has expressed their sadness and disappointment over the situation, with her grandmother, Cynthia Rivera, specifically noting that she felt like she had let her grandaughter down.
The girl was initially taken when she was just 13 years old, after being abducted and sold to traffickers.
She never managed to recover from the damage she had endured during her time in captivity and was brought back to the family visibly broken.
Her father, Mariano Serrano, said she died in his arms. The teenager was torn between wanting to be with her abductor and not hurting her family. She had run away twice in the past two years trying to be with the abductor.
The grieving dad stated: “She wanted to be with him. But, she also didn’t want to hurt her family.” He is hoping that the man will face justice and added: “I want to see him in court. I want to tell him it’s his fault my daughter is dead.”
The family is now taking the opportunity to spread awareness about human trafficking and its heavy prevalence in modern society.
They have noted that everyone has a responsibility to prevent this from happening and that it was important for people to pay attention and look out for possible signs indicating that something might be out of the ordinary.
The grandmother said in a Facebook post: “I want to tell you the story of Letty Serrano, a student from Northside High and former student at Marshall Middle school. This young lady took her own life on Saturday morning, and we are preparing her funeral arrangments and therapy for her family and siblings. Letty went through a horrific abduction in 2017 through a man who drugged her and trafficked her. With the help of our community, I was able to find her. When we got her back, she was already broken and addicted at that point, the road to recovery was and is one of the hardest things for any child to overcome. This man was taken and three days later released, and again, he did the same thing to another 13 yr old. Nothing was done with him or those drug houses on the bayou that I reported that should be torn down. What I saw and witnessed was horrible in those houses. I ask you to help us and that her death does not go in vain. No news media, no elected officials to speak for her, and most of all, NO JUSTICE !!!! I am asking you to reach into your hearts and pockets to donate something. Every little bit helps, I promise. We as a community and the system failed this young lady, and her family once let us not do it again. I am representing the family, and all meetings and interviews will go through me. I will be her voice, and I need you to be her voice now. It is with a heavy heart that I speak to you.
Thank You
Cynthia Rivera”
Human trafficking remains a major problem in society, despite the efforts of authorities around the world.
It is not clear if there will ever be a “proper” solution to the problem, but some observers say, it is at least good to see that people still haven’t given up on trying to solve it.
