Grizelda Grootboom, a resident of Cape Town, visited the University of Johannesburg to talk about her book Exit.
Grootboom revealed her life of prostitution and drugs, rape, human trafficking and the events that came with it.
Grootboom said that her life changed when she was gang raped at the age of nine by teenagers in the Cape Town township that she grew up in. She moved to Johannesburg at the age of 18 in an attempt to start a new life, but instead she was trafficked in Yeoville when she arrived. “I was tied in a room for two weeks and forced to work as a sex slave,” said Grootboom.
She said that what followed was a life living in poverty, from one street corner to another, being pimped, being taught how to strip, sleeping with several men a day and using a variety of drugs such as buttons, ecstasy, dagga and cocaine.
Grootboom said that she had a son she had to give away when she was still working in prostitution and now has another son whom she is raising. “I have met my older son and he is still angry at me. I am still trying to mend my relationship with him,” she said.
Grootboom said that she ended up in Port Elizabeth and it was there that she finally decided to stop. She explained that it was the abortion of her baby at the age of 27 that was the last straw. That was when she looked for help at the Embrace Dignity organisation. “I walked into rehab shortly after my abortion and it was hell, it was not easy but it can be done,” said Grootboom.
Grizelda’s story ended with her reconciling with her family, while raising her six-year-old son. “In writing this story, I hope to open a window on the hidden and often misunderstood world of prostitution, thereby raising awareness and understanding about its harms and the horrors of trafficking and prostitution of women and children, as well as drug abuse,” said Grootboom. She said that she hopes to heal and set an example for others to follow.
Grootboom is now an activist against human trafficking, supports fellow survivors undergoing rehabilitation and works at Embrace Dignity. This is an NPO based in Cape Town, which is part of a growing global movement working to restore dignity for all people by advocating for law reform and public education to address commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking. “Half of the profits of my book go to the organisation because I want to do for others what they did for me,” said Grootboom.
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