I am 44 years old and I have two children. I come from Benin.
I worked on a project for the Ministry of Health in my country as an Executive Assistant. I was arrested at Hong Kong airport on the morning of December 9, 2023 for drug trafficking. Here is my story:
I did not have an easy childhood. I come from a numerous family, with several children from different fathers. We are ten children and I am the eighth child. We grew up in very precarious conditions, our mother, having experienced several divorces, required us to help her every Saturday and Sunday, either by going to the fields to gather firewood or by selling small crops to bring money home for our breakfast and other needs until we finished primary school.
Once we entered secondary school, our mother could no longer support our educational expenses. Many of my older siblings had already dropped out of school. Most of my older sisters got married, while my older brothers were either in apprenticeships or had already finished their education. I loved studying, so if I were to continue secondary school, it would have to be by my own means.
I started a small business selling bottled water and sometimes boiled peanuts during holidays and weekends. This business, which usually lasted 3 to 4 months during school holidays, allowed me to save enough money for my tuition, supplies, and a little extra for breakfast.
I managed to get by until my first year of high school, when I met a man whom I considered to be well-off. After a while, this man proposed marriage. Saying no to this proposal would imply that I did not care for my younger sister and brother, who were almost neglected by our mother due to her financial struggles. Agreeing to this proposal meant marrying an older man, almost like a father figure, and also someone who was often away on business. My mother pressured me into saying yes.
But once we married, my life turned to a living hell. I served merely as a housemaid for him since he was often away, and I had to act as the guardian and servant of the house.
He rarely approached me sexually, and for three long years, I could not conceive, even though it was my desire because having a child would certainly comfort me in my loneliness. God eventually granted me the chance to have a child, but this was not what my husband wanted. Thus, life at home became impossible, so I abandoned the marriage when my son was just 4 years old.
After separating, I remained a single mother for two years before meeting the father of my daughter, who is now 3 years old. The father of my daughter is a young single man whom I fortuitously met at my church. I had known him by sight for over a year without ever speaking to him; I saw him regularly at church before he finally noticed me. Since I thought he was a faithful churchgoer, I felt things were going well without knowing much about him.
We began discussing marriage, but instead of abstaining until marriage as our faith requires, we became intimate and I became pregnant. Two months later, he left town because of his job. He worked setting up gas stations in various countries, so he had to travel. After he left, he was involved in a fire, leaving him with significant injuries. He lost everything, including his passport, while I had to endure a very difficult pregnancy alone, facing all the expenses from pregnancy to childbirth.
After my daughter was born, I began to scramble to provide for my children, without forgetting my other responsibilities. It was in this desperate situation that I discovered a drug trafficking network through a friend who taught me to how to swallow drug packages. Once trained, I was then scheduled for travel.
And here I am, in a Hong Kong prison.
I bitterly regret accepting to do this work because I have ruined the education I dreamed of providing for my two children. My heart aches for having created total instability in their lives, as they find themselves in the hands of different people, one today and another tomorrow. I write this letter to discourage all my brothers and sisters facing life’s hardships from considering drug trafficking as an option; it is not a good choice. Your future is at stake, and think of all those who care about you. Today, not only are my brothers and sisters suffering, but my children have also become like orphans, without a mother.
I conclude by asking you to keep me in your prayers, so that God, in His mercy, may help me to be released quickly, as my children need me.
Note: This letter was translated from French. View the original by clicking the images below.
