"The daughter of undocumented immigrants from Morocco, Nada had lived there since she was four. Only one other person was travelling with Nada. Grover Morales was a neighbour with a saintly air. In La Florida, the poor neighbourhood in which he and Nada's family lived, Morales made a point of greeting everyone, regardless of race or faith. He read religious books, not just the Christian Bible, but also the Torah and the Qur'an."
"For Morales, a Bolivian man in his mid-30s, this was a business and family trip. He was going home to pick up jewellery and bring it back to sell, or so he said. He offered to take Nada as a reward for her excellent schoolwork. They would be back in a week. Her parents signed a notarised document permitting Nada to travel with him."
"She would have a real story to tell. But she was also nervous. She knew things about Morales that others did not."
Nada Itrab, a bright nine-year-old daughter of undocumented Moroccan immigrants living in Barcelona, boards an overnight coach to Madrid on August 27, 2013, to catch her first flight to Bolivia. She travels with Grover Morales, a seemingly kind Bolivian neighbor known for his generosity and religious devotion to her family. Presented as a reward for her academic excellence, the trip is framed as a week-long adventure where Morales will retrieve jewelry to sell. Nada's parents authorize the journey with notarized documentation. Excited yet nervous, Nada carries a camera and notebook, eager to document her experience and return with stories for school. However, the narrative hints at undisclosed knowledge Nada possesses about Morales.
#child-trafficking #vulnerable-populations #deception-and-exploitation #immigration-and-poverty #personal-narrative
Read at www.theguardian.com
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