The Global Center on Human Trafficking
MEI LING – CHINA/UNITED STATES
Mei Ling jumped at the chance to work in the U.S. when she saw a newspaper ad for a cleaner at a suburban spa. Mei Ling met up with a recruiter in rural China, who told her, “you’ll be paid four times what you make now.” But when she arrived in the U.S., she was told she wouldn’t be cleaning—instead she would have to provide massages and commercial sex to customers. She wasn’t allowed to keep any money she made in the first year, and was told that she would be deported if she did not comply. “If you ever try to leave, the police will just throw you in jail,” her employers told her. Because of her language barrier and fear of the police, she has remained at the storefront brothel. (Source)