She defines herself as a survivor, and embraces life with passion and dignity. She found the bravery and strength to break the chains and escape one of the worst forms of modern slavery, rebuilding her life from the ground up. Today she is a writer, educator and feminist activist. The interview took place a few days before her participation in the International Conference on Prostitution and Trafficking of Women in Madrid. Graciela Atencio — Feminicidio. Interviewing Sonia Sanchez turned out to be easier than I expected.
Reading it made a huge impact on me; her cathartic, gut-wrenching story of how she was trafficked into prostitution grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you into consciousness.
Her words leave an indelible mark. She is a 21st century heroine who has survived one of the most barbaric experiences imaginable. Luckily, she is here to tell her moving story and help change the world around her, through her searing public speeches and boundless optimism.
The interview lasted more than 6 hours and extended over an entire weekend. It is impossible to condense her life into a few pages, but we had a long, flowing and open-hearted conversation. I'm going to start with a question that you're probably used to being asked: how did you end up in prostitution?
I was born in Villa Angela in the province of Chaco, a region rich in natural resources but one of the poorest in Argentina. I was tired of having a decent meal only once every three days, and my sister had found a job as a live-in domestic worker in Buenos Aires, so I decided to try and make a living like she did. Have you got a big family? Yes, my mother was a domestic worker too, and my father was a labourer.
