{"id":2945,"date":"2025-04-20T09:38:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T09:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmtv.ca\/?p=2945"},"modified":"2025-04-20T11:22:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T11:22:28","slug":"a-dream-turned-nightmare-the-story-of-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmtv.ca\/index.php\/2025\/04\/20\/a-dream-turned-nightmare-the-story-of-have\/","title":{"rendered":"A Dream Turned Nightmare: The Story of Have\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Dream That Started It All<\/strong><\/h2>

Have\u2019 was doing well in Ivory Coast. He had a stable job, a steady income, and lived happily with his loved ones. But like many, he was driven by the desire to do more<\/em>\u2014to give his family a better life<\/em>.<\/p>

He often heard stories of people leaving Africa, heading to Europe, and returning rich. He longed to experience that \u201cmagic\u201d too. Eventually, his dream came true\u2014at least, that\u2019s what he thought.<\/p>

Have\u2019 left Ivory Coast with high hopes, believing he was heading to Europe. But instead of stepping into opportunity, he stepped into a trap. His destination wasn\u2019t Europe. It was Kuwait<\/strong>\u2014and he didn\u2019t even know he was being trafficked.<\/p>

An Interview with the Victim<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"Have\u2019 recalls:<\/strong>
“I was so traumatized. Sometimes, while working, I feared my boss was nearby. I\u2019d hear gunshots. He wanted me to know that if I resisted, he wouldn\u2019t hesitate to kill me.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The False Promise<\/strong><\/h2>

Have\u2019 Speaks:<\/strong>
\u201cI\u2019m Have\u2019, a former migrant and a survivor of human trafficking in Kuwait in 2015. I want to share my story\u2014how, without even realizing it, I was sold as a slave in the 21st century.<\/p><\/blockquote>

Like many young Africans, I had the dream of \u2018going on an adventure\u2019. My job in the cocoa industry back home paid poorly, even though I was the director of a cooperative. I wanted more\u2014for my education, for my family. That\u2019s when a friend introduced me to someone who \u2018helped people travel abroad.\u2019<\/p>

We met in Abidjan. The man claimed he could get me to Qatar, where I could earn enough in two years to change my life. But the visa he showed me wasn\u2019t for Qatar. It was for Kuwait.<\/p>

When I asked why, he reassured me: \u2018Jobs in Qatar don\u2019t pay well. Kuwait is better.\u2019<\/em> I believed him. I didn\u2019t know better. He said I needed to travel through Mali. I agreed. On August 30, 2015, I left Ivory Coast for the first time in my life.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Warning Ignored<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"Have\u2019 continues:<\/strong>
\u201cIn Mali, people were waiting for us\u2014part of a network smuggling migrants to Gulf countries. At the airport, a police officer looked at our documents and warned us:
\u2018Kuwait is not a good place. The living conditions are harsh, and foreign workers are mistreated.\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>

We were scared. But we had already invested so much. So we boarded the plane. Once we landed, everything changed.<\/p>

First, we were taken to a mosque. When I said I was Christian, they gave me books to learn how to pray their way. We were then locked inside a house. Later, one by one, we were \u2018handed over\u2019 to strangers\u2014in exchange for money.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Desert of Despair<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"Have\u2019 recalls:<\/strong>
\u201cI was taken to a house where an Indian man told me, \u2018Tomorrow, I\u2019ll take you to your workplace\u2014in the desert.\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>

At first, things seemed okay. My boss was kind. He gave me gifts. Other workers said he was the nicest among his brothers. It was all a trick.<\/p>

After a month, he paid me. But when I converted the salary, it was only 120,000 CFA francs\u2014nothing close to what I was promised. I called the man in Ivory Coast who arranged my trip. He said, \u2018Be patient. We\u2019ll change your workplace.\u2019<\/em><\/p>

But then, the payments stopped. When I asked my boss for my salary, he said:<\/p>

\u2018What salary? I bought you for 400 dinars (around 800,000 CFA francs).\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>

That\u2019s when I realized: I was not an employee. I was a slave<\/strong>.<\/p>

I worked from 5:00 AM to 2:00 AM every day\u2014herding animals, cooking, cleaning, doing masonry work. Sometimes I served food for 20 people alone. One day I collapsed. An Ethiopian man insisted they take me to a hospital. After three days, I was discharged\u2014only to be ordered to haul 50kg of animal food immediately.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Hell at the Hands of His \u2018Owners\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"Have\u2019 shares:<\/strong>
\u201cThe man\u2019s father, who initially seemed kind, once tried to run me over<\/em> with his car. He shouted,
\u2018Do you think you’re worth more than my sheep? If you refuse to work, I\u2019ll kill you!\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>

That day, I knew my life was in danger. Thankfully, a friend I had traveled with had just created a WhatsApp group. He reached out and offered to help me escape.<\/p>

I shared my GPS location. But we had to wait a week. During that time, the boss exploited me further\u2014making me do dangerous, unpaid construction work.\u201d<\/p>

The Great Escape<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"Have\u2019 narrates:<\/strong>
\u201cI came up with a plan. I made a meal with too much salt hoping the Sudanese man I lived with would leave to eat at his brother\u2019s. But he liked it. Fortunately, he told me to go charge my phone at his brother\u2019s place.<\/p><\/blockquote>

That was my chance. I packed my bags under my blanket and quietly ran<\/em>. I ran across the desert in darkness, ducking to avoid headlights, dodging guard dogs and watchmen. I was terrified.<\/p>

Finally, I reached a paved road. My phone\u2019s battery was dying. I called my friend and asked him to turn on his hazard lights so I could spot his car. When I saw him, I ran and got in. He asked about my bags. I said, \u2018I left them. My life is more important.\u2019<\/em>“<\/p>

From Slavery to Jail<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"Have\u2019 reflects:<\/strong>
\u201cThe man who helped me escape took me to his house. But I was so traumatized, I was afraid to get out of the car\u2014afraid my boss would be there.<\/p><\/blockquote>

After a few days, another Ivorian man helped me get a job as a security guard\u2014someplace safe. But the fear never left me.<\/p>

Eventually, the police arrested me for not having documents. I had only a copy of a Nigerian man’s ID who had helped me. I didn’t want to get him into trouble, so I said nothing.<\/p>

In prison, an Egyptian man warned me: \u2018Negotiate with the police, or you\u2019ll stay here forever.\u2019<\/em> I told them everything. They tried to call my boss to get my passport. He refused. Worse, he wanted me sent back<\/em> to the desert.”<\/p>

The Fight for Freedom<\/strong><\/h2>

Have\u2019 concludes:<\/strong>
\u201cI remembered the Togolese man who had helped me escape. The police interrogated him too, but he had pretended not to know me. Still, he stayed in touch with me.<\/p><\/blockquote>

Unfortunately, they caught him too\u2014after he refused to work during a phone call. They beat him badly. I don\u2019t know what happened to him afterward.\u201d<\/p>

Final Reflections<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"Have\u2019 says:<\/strong>
\u201cFrom the first day I arrived in Kuwait, I knew I was in hell. I decided: either I die here, or I return and expose this man.<\/p><\/blockquote>

He told my family lies\u2014that I didn\u2019t want to work, that I was sabotaging his business. Meanwhile, I was barely surviving. I escaped with nothing. But I escaped with my life.<\/p>

Today, I continue to tell my story\u2014not just for myself, but for everyone still trapped.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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