Human trafficking survivor shares his story at 'Stop the Traffick' – WJCL

“I came in 2006, and for the next six years, my life was hell,” Kwami Adoboe-Herrera told WJCL.

Adoboe-Herrera is just one of the estimated 16 million people trafficked each year for their labor.

“I was brought here when I was seven years old. I was a minor, yeah,” Adoboe-Herrera said.

As a child, Kwami left his home country of Togo in Africa with a family friend who promised the American dream to Kwami. But when he came to the U.S., his new reality became a nightmare.

“Most kids want to go outside and play. But I couldn't do that. I was working. If I don't work, I get beat. If I get beaten, I'm asked to do the same work again until it's done right,” said Adoboe-Herrera.

After six years of working against his will, a middle school teacher noticed something off with Kwami and alerted authorities. Ever since then, Kwami has turned his life around.

“It's been great. I finished college, now I just travel around doing presentations and doing conferences,” Adoboe-Herrera said.

This weekend, Kwami spoke to hundreds at the annual Stop The Traffick event hosted by Savannah's Interagency Diversity Council.

“This conference saves lives,” said Tina Browning with SIDC. “We don't wanna bring doom and gloom here. What we want to bring at this conference is make sure that our families know and have the protection they need.”

The two-day event, held at Savannah State University, connected experts to the public — telling them about the dangers and warning signs of human trafficking.

“People don't realize when your Georgia coast expands like it is now–we're a port city, so we're bringing in a lot of industry and import-export, which brings in a lot more traffickers,” Browning told WJCL.

From panel discussions to a resource fair with organizations like the Department of Justice present, Stop The Traffick's goal is to raise awareness, educate and ignite change to end human trafficking.

For Kwami, it's just a way to do his part.

“In a way, it's tough because I have to relive my situation again. But it's also therapeutic for me. I know that what I'm sharing is touching somebody. Someone is going to listen to it. And they're going to take it home and say, ‘I'm gonna do something. I need to help somebody,'” Adoboe-Herrera said.

Saving lives one speech at a time.