Sold for sex the last time in Washington, D.C., she returned for congressional award

The last memory Arien Pauls had of Washington, D.C., was being sold for sex not far from the Capitol. That changed last week when she returned nine years later to accept an award from the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus.

The 29-year-old Fresno woman and mother survived nearly four brutal years of being trafficked around the country – including severe beatings, rape, and a forced late-term abortion – before escaping. She’s now a volunteer who helps human trafficking victims.

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, presented her with the Eva Murillo Unsung Hero Award on April 12 in a U.S. House of Representatives’ building.

“By using her painful experience to relate to other survivors in Fresno and support them in their recovery, Arien is an example of true strength and the triumph of the human spirit,” Costa said.

The award Pauls received honors a survivor of violent crime who has used the experience to help other survivors.

Pauls volunteers as lead victim advocate and survivor leader at Breaking the Chains in Fresno, and as a board member and prevention educator at Central Valley Justice Coalition.

She’s also a full-time assistant catering manager who is taking online college classes to earn a bachelor’s degree in justice studies. She wants to become an attorney to help human trafficking victims.

Despite the abuse she endured at the hands of a pimp – who kept the money she earned and threatened to kill her family if she stopped selling her body for sex – she’s still fighting to clear her record of charges related to being trafficked.

Pauls said she was previously denied a license to work as an EMT, despite earning her certification, because of her record. She said it was a shock and crippling blow to her spirit.

Of her award, she says, “I’m just extremely honored and just overwhelmed, but in a good way.”

“When I started sharing my story all those years ago, it was never for recognition. I just wanted to bring awareness to what had happened to me, but more importantly, what continues to happen to these young girls and women. I just started talking and never stopped.”

Pauls was first featured in The Bee in 2016 as a recipient of a free program that removes tattoos that branded women as property, and last year, as part of a series about human trafficking, “Slaves of the Sex Trade.”

Pauls said she hopes more community members join the fight to end sexual slavery: “Get trained, get educated, learn the signs. Learn the red flags and be willing to report them. … All it takes is one person, one voice.”

This story was originally published April 18, 2018 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Sold for sex the last time in Washington, D.C., she returned for congressional award."