NY's Alima's Cuisine Needs Support As Does Freedom for Her Abused Family Members

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1581752758666771 is a link to a live zoom press conference with Alima Bonsa  of Burkina Faso of Africa.  At 18 years old and a virgin, she was sold to an American white man (which she'd never seen in her life), Allen Steck by the chief of the village and her uncle. 

He trafficked her family as well. He married her and had three children with her, raping and beating her up throughout the whole process. She was not allowed to escape. She had never seen something like this happening with a stranger.

Her family had agreed to sell her for money and at the request of a German friend who had told the chief he should make this happen. She was forced to get on a motorcycle and made to go with him. 

He raped her on day one. She was married to him in November 10, 2001. The eve of the wedding he was insulting her as he did on the wedding day. She had only known her village and hadn't heard of America.

She didn't speak the language and felt terrified to death. She lived in Columbia County of NY recently but moved around a lot. She was isolated and did not have a way to learn the language.

They lived with his mother then to New Orleans, DC, Canada, Pennsylvania and then Alexandria DC for a longer time then up to NY state. She was being the housewife, and slave. She had to take care of him. She had three children in 2007, 2009, and 2012. Her Mom and sister were trafficked to the US.

He also bought his niece and his brother. She did not want them to come, but he had it 'his way'. When a woman marries in her culture, a mother is not supposed to live with a son-in-law.  He has all the passports and documents.

She calls him a trafficker since he bought them like animals. After a couple of weeks Allen started beating her sister, niece and even her mother. She has seen her family changed over time due to the separation, then buying them and putting them up against each other.

Allen Steck said he wanted to buy a farm and run that. She did not want to do that, having been a farmer when younger. But he got the farm and had them work from sun up to sun down. He was mainly on the computer. It seemed to her like a plantation. He had a smart way to say she owned 60% but she had no access to the funds.

He left the house with the documents and put the papers in Richmond MA. Alima went to get the papers but he knocked her around. He locked the door and didn't give her help when she was calling for it. She drove to Canaan NY and then they called the NY State Police. They said they could not do much since the incident happened in MA. She went to the hospital.

Then two weeks later she was told she could report the abuse. That was something she moved forward with to get an order of protection. He was initially removed from the house but then he got custody of the two girls. He had signed them up to go to school in other states. He sought emergency custody in Colombia County.

Her children feel terrible about this, and have been manipulated with his stories. He tells them stories and pulls them apart from her much like he did the family. What she would want now is her children and her well-being.

She says they are her number one, and that she still loves her family as well. She says he needs to be brought to justice. She says he is a serious trafficker, manipulator, rapist, and plantation person.