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"  Egyptian Shyima Hall was 8 years old when her parents sold her to a wealthy family. A few years later, she was smuggled into California and held captive for two years in a posh Orange County suburb before being rescued by child services. Now 23, with a daughter of her own, she&amp;#039;s raising awareness of slavery on our home soil. What was it like being a servant in Egypt? My family had little, but I loved my siblings. Then I was handed over to people who have everything \u2014 a 17-car garage and an elevator \u2014 who were so cruel. I cared for a set of twins and did much of the housework. I wasn&amp;#039;t tall enough to stand at the kitchen sink to wash dishes, so I had a stool. Finally, after the family went to bed, I&amp;#039;d eat my one meal of the day. How did they get you into the United States? They changed my appearance by straightening my hair and had a stranger fly with me. He told customs he was adopting me. I wanted to speak to a woman at the airport, but I didn&amp;#039;t know the language. I felt like I had no voice. What was your California life like? I lived in a room off the garage with no natural light and no ventilation. I was locked out of the house at night with no bathroom. I knew how long I&amp;#039;d been there only because the twins had two birthdays. Once, an Egyptian family visited and had a slave like me. It was the first time I&amp;#039;d had a friend in years. I don&amp;#039;t know if she&amp;#039;s okay. Even after your rescue, your ordeal wasn&amp;#039;t over. I was so angry, but I couldn&amp;#039;t express myself. I&amp;#039;d never been to school, and I found it hard to trust people. The immigration and customs officer on my case was the first person who ever cared for me. Now I hope to be a customs officer, so I can help others. How can we help?  Look for a child who isn&amp;#039;t acting like a child. If she has downcast eyes, wears the same clothes every day, or isn&amp;#039;t in school, it&amp;#039;s okay to ask questions. Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave is out January 21. Photo Credit: Projects Abroad "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/news/a19464/surviving-slavery-2014/>