GoodHeart | Tameka Hill tackles human trafficking with fictional book

Human trafficking is a serious matter that exploits victims for profit, stripping them of their freedom and rights. Yet many don’t understand the severity of these nefarious activities. Tameka Hill was once in the dark about this global issue. Now, as an advocate for change, she sheds light on this important topic.

“When I was appointed as a youth ambassador in 2009, the chief mission at the time was human trafficking. I remember not knowing much about the matter. But I was determined to change that,” she explained to GoodHeart.

Giving a voice to the voiceless, Hill’s extensive research unlocked a dark and disturbing underworld, exposing her to a space where human beings were seen as mere commodities. “Sometimes, their bodies are treated as storefronts for organs,” she highlighted.

This shift inspired Hill to take on new advocacy efforts. It also played a significant role in her academic pursuits.

“It sparked a flame within me and I did my first postgraduate degree at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, in human trafficking. I advocated for shelter for victims of human trafficking. And I also asked for stricter penalties for perpetrators of the crime.”

During her postgraduate studies, she prepared a report on illegal transportation and recommended mechanisms to address the issue, which she sent to the Minister of Youth and Culture.

Hill has gone to great lengths to advocate for human trafficking victims. To give others a clearer understanding of what occurs behind closed doors, she wrote a new book.

“As a person that’s into communication and international development, I started thinking about it. If I should make this known, speak about it, and promote awareness for change, what would be the best way of getting the right message across to the public? Writing a book looked like an ideal avenue,” she shared.

The book begins with a young woman named Anya. Readers are taken on this mysterious journey and given greater insight into what she is seeing and experiencing for the first time. Much like the protagonist, readers remain in the dark as the author brings this issue into the spotlight.

“Anya finds herself in a container. You don’t know if the container is moving or if it’s standing still. She’s surrounded by young girls like herself and nobody is really talking to each other,” she said, adding, “Some days later, a girl goes missing and she never comes back. You don’t know where and it’s just a very uncomfortable situation to be in. The audience is drawn into the environment she experiences, feeling and understanding her reality.”

With subtle hints about the plot’s direction, the book ends without a fairytale conclusion – and Hill hopes readers will feel compelled to take action against similar real-world cases of human trafficking.

She shared, “I wanted to make sure that the ending resonated with readers and that it left you wanting more. And that part was the most challenging part because how can you end a book without ending it?”

Then came the challenge of choosing a title. The author struggled with it for sometime, until one night it came to her in a dream.

“One morning, probably about 3 o’clock, I heard ‘The girl in the shadows’. I woke up, wrote it down on my phone and I went back to sleep. It just clicked. That’s the only name that [it] could be called. And that’s the only title it deserved,” she highlighted.

After spending two years writing the book, she faced another two-year delay from the original designer. Eventually, she decided to shift gears and hired a new designer who completed the job in just one month.

She had her official launch in May, and already, readers are talking about the book and its impact.

“Once people read this book, I hope they get a better understanding of how widespread this crime is, and be aware of the stark reality that this sort of [pervasive] evil generates. After all, this might be fiction, but it is rooted in real circumstances and it must be stopped.”

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com