Sammy’s Story

Sammy* was just a boy when his village came under attack and he was forced into a paramilitary group composed mainly of children. He was drugged, given a firearm, and trained to kill. After years of fighting for the rebels, Sammy managed to escape to a neighbouring country. 

While there, Sammy met Mr. X who promised to help him escape to the United States where he would finally be safe. After being forced to work for months, Mr. X finally brought Sammy to Hong Kong where he represented to Immigration that Sammy was his son. He was only 14 at the time.

When Mr. X revealed to Sammy that he was to smuggle drugs into another country, Sammy refused. Mr. X abandoned him, taking his passport and all identifying documents with him as he fled. Sammy slept outside the Star Ferry for weeks.

After years of navigating Hong Kong’s legal and social support system as a refugee, he found Dignity Institute through a friend. In one integrated assessment, Sammy received all the support and answers to his questions he’d been longing for for years - bringing to light his human trafficking experience that previously had gone unnoticed by all other organisations. 

*pseudonym used