Nada Itrab was nine years old when she was kidnapped from Spain and taken to Bolivia, beginning a nine-month ordeal that she has now turned into a campaign against child trafficking. The daughter of undocumented Moroccan immigrants, Nada lived in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona. In August 2013, a neighbour, Grover Morales, offered to take her to Bolivia as a reward for her excellent schoolwork. Her parents signed a notarised document permitting the trip.
Morales, a Bolivian man in his mid-30s, was known in the neighbourhood for his religious reading and helpful nature. However, Nada had seen a video of him entering a trance at his place of worship, which scared her. She also recalled unsettling moments when he would lie on top of her during play. Despite these misgivings, the trip went ahead. Security cameras captured Nada boarding the plane in a spotty dress.
Upon arrival in Santa Cruz, Morales claimed Nada's passport was lost and blamed her, saying they would have to stay longer. Nada soon realised she had been kidnapped. Authorities feared the worst, but nine months later, she was found in the rainforest. Her survival, she says, was miraculous: 'Any other child would have died.'
Now 21, Nada is a law student at Barcelona University. She has chosen to speak publicly about her ordeal to confront stigma and campaign against child trafficking. 'I don't want to just be the girl who got kidnapped,' she said. She is working to uncover the full details of what happened, a process she describes as part of her recovery.
