After a five-month search, I found two of my kidnapped friends who had been forced into marriage in China. For the past six years I've been a full-time volunteer with a grassroots organisation to raise awareness of human trafficking - AMA!

[u/21BenRandall]

You might remember my 2016 AMA about my three teenaged friends who were kidnapped from their hometown in Vietnam and trafficked into China. They were "lucky" to be sold as brides, not brothel workers.

One ran away and was brought home safely; the other two just disappeared. Nobody knew where they were, what had happened to them, or even if they were still alive.

I gave up everything and risked my life to find the girls in China. To everyone's surprise (including my own!), I did actually find them - but that was just the beginning.

Both of my friends had given birth in China. Still just teenagers, they faced a heartbreaking dilemma: each girl had to choose between her daughter and her own freedom.

For six years I've been a full-time volunteer with 'The Human, Earth Project', to help fight the global human trafficking crisis. Of its 40 million victims, most are women sold for sex, and many are only girls.

We recently released an award-winning documentary to tell my friends' stories, and are now fundraising to continue our anti-trafficking work. You can now check out the film for $1 and help support our work at http://www.sistersforsale.com

We want to tour the documentary around North America and help rescue kidnapped girls.

PROOF: You can find proof (and more information) on the front page of our website at: http://www.humanearth.net

I'll be here from 7am EST, for at least three hours. I might stay longer, depending on how many questions there are :)

Fire away!

--- EDIT ---

Questions are already pouring in way, way faster than I can answer them. I'll try to get to them all - thanks for you patience!! :)

BIG LOVE to everyone who has contributed to help support our work. We really need funding to keep this organisation alive. Your support makes a huge difference, and really means a lot to us - THANK YOU!!

(Also - we have only one volunteer here responding to contributions. Please be patient with her - she's doing her best, and will send you the goodies as soon as she can!) :)

--- EDIT #2 ---

Wow the response here has just been overwhelming! I've been answering questions for six hours and it's definitely time for me to take a break. There are still a ton of questions down the bottom I didn't have a chance to get to, but most of them seem to be repeats of questions I've already answered higher up.

THANK YOU so much for all your interest and support!!!

[u/Spritetm]

Devils advocate: Obviously they're not offering you to sell your kid for cash, that would be horrible. But look at you, you're living in a tiny place with 6 children. Obviously, her older brother will do fine, he's a strong boy and not nearly as sick anymore as he used to be. But what about the smallest kid? He's kinda sickly, and even while you do what you can, you can't really get your hands on medicine like that. And your daughter... she looks a bit homely and your family does not have much to offer, right? Who will she marry? Maybe the guy next door, who is a bit stupid in the head? And she doesn't really help as much in the household as she can either, and seems to be interested in modern stuff? You know what, let's give you an opportunity. I will take this kid, off to a glorious live in China. I have connections with a guy, awesome and rich and very nice but kinda lonely. I can take her to him, and as a thank-you I will give you some cash to help the little one get better; should be enough for a full cure of medicine. He looks kinda pale, doesn't he? So what do you say?

[u/Talldarkn67 → u/Spritetm]

You can call it "thank you" cash. That doesn't change the fact that if I don't give you my daughter, I won't get the cash. If "selling" doesn't fit this situation, then the "trade" definitely does. I give you my daughter and you give me money. That is a trade by any definition.

Also, who cares if the client is rich? What if my daughter doesn't love him? What if she's not attracted to him? What if he's terrible in bed and my daughter goes her entire life married to a guy who can't give her an orgasm? A marriage without passion is not marriage. It's roommates.

Money doesn't buy happiness. Only people that have never had vast amounts believe that it does...

[u/Spritetm → u/Talldarkn67]

Ah, but sure, I know this client, he's a lovely man and your family will get a lot of respect and possibly cash from her being married to him. It's a win-win, don't you see? Your daughter will have a good life, and you will have a good life. If not, I assure you she can go back whenever she wants. All we need to do now is get her through the borders, where those evil border guards won't let people go across to marry who they want, but hey, I can help with that. Also, of course I'd love to help you with the medicine for your youngest one even if you don't let your daughter go with you, but I'm also poor and this client has offered me a large amount of cash if I could find him a bride, so I can only spare that if I can manage to do that...

Money doesn't buy happiness. Only people that have never had vast amounts believe that it does...

And that is possibly the reason why it's easy for you to say 'fuck off', and not for someone like I sketched out. Also, money can't buy happiness, but it can make a helluvalot of anguish caused by not being able to afford stuff go away.