When Savannah Parvu was 11, her mother sold her to a stranger for $10. And that was just the first time.
Living in Orlando, Parvu and her drug-addicted mother would stand in parking lots behind bars, as her mom scraped enough money to get a fix. When the money was gone, she used her daughter as payment.
At an event hosted by the Alachua County Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Parvu, now 30, shared her experiences to a crowd of about 100 at Trinity United Methodist Church. She was part of a panel of four other anti-human-trafficking activists who called for more awareness of the issue, particularly in Gainesville.
“We wanted to show the community that human trafficking is real, and it’s happening right here,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Williams, one of the event’s panelists.
Eradicating human trafficking is nearly impossible, but awareness makes a monumental difference, Williams said. In the past three years, he has helped convict 12 human traffickers in Gainesville.
“We are never going to eliminate human trafficking,” he said. “We’ll be like a hamster on a wheel, but public education is the key.”
Parvu said she tried to run away nearly 15 times but always went back. Her family, although abusive, was the only life she knew, she added.
After both her parents attempted suicide, she entered the world of foster care and group homes, she said.
Years later, Parvu decided to visit her mother. It was during that time her mother allowed her to be raped by seven men. It was then that she decided to share her story.
“I want to be the person I needed when I was going through it,” she said.
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