Shyima Hall

Alexandria, Egypt Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Hall was the seventh child out of eleven children in total. Her two oldest siblings were female twins. Next in line was Hassan, the first brother in the family. After Hassan was another sister, then two brothers. Hall had four younger siblings. Closest in age was a brother, then her sister and another brother. Last was her baby sister, whom Hall had to help her mother birth. She was sold to Abdel Nasser Youssef Ibrahim and Amal Ahmed Ewis-Abd El Motelib by her parents when she was eight years old. It is said that she was sold to repay a debt owed by Hall's oldest sister, Zahra, one of the twins, who had stolen from the Ibrahim family. While speaking at Sam Houston State University, Hall recalls about her home life in Alexandria, "we were a very poor family, but it was a happy family and I was okay with it." Cairo In describing the family who kidnapped her, Hall says "they were a very, very wealthy family…They had five kids, three girls and two boys, twins. They were very powerful people in Egypt." She recalls among the five to seven other people who worked in the family's home, she was the only child. Hall remained in Cairo, Egypt for almost a year and a half until the father got into trouble with the Egyptian government and decided to move the family to the United States. Hall says that the Ibrahims approached her parents and explained that because Shyima had not yet finished paying off the family's debt, that she would have to move with them to the United States. She recalls her parents promising her that she would only be in the United States for six or seven months. The Ibrahims would smuggle Hall into the United States. She claims that the family coached her on what to say if anyone questioned her passport at the airport. She remembers the last time she saw her parents was when they saw her off at the airport. In the two years that she lived with the Ibrahims, Hall spoke to her parents twice on the phone. When approached by strangers in public, the Ibrahim's children were taught to say that Hall was a step sister. == Rescue ==

On April 9, 2002, upon noticing that Hall never left the house or went to school, a neighbor called Child Protective Services. Three days after the tip, the police came to the Ibrahims' home. Originally without a warrant and therefore unable to enter, they had to leave and return some time later. This was when they first found Hall. Hall was taken into the police's custody. Through years of convincing Hall that police would hurt her, Hall was skeptical to speak to them, but eventually she did. Hall was placed in a group home in Orange County. A day later, the police called Hall's parents who, Hall claims, said, "How dare you to leave these people's home. These are the people that put a roof on top of your head, cared and treated you as part of the family." == Trial and restitutions ==

Hall's case lasted from 2001 to 2007. It was decided that Hall not be put on the stand. Hall's oldest sister testified against Hall, via video from Egypt, with the support of the Ibrahims. The Ibrahims pleaded guilty and, after a hearing in which Hall got the chance to speak out against her captors, were sentenced to time in prison. The charges brought against the Ibrahims were keeping a child in involuntary servitude and harboring an alien. Part of the Ibrahims' plea deal entailed that they pay Hall $152,000, the wages she should have received for the estimated time that she worked for the Ibrahims. == Foster care ==

Shyima Hall had lived with a total of three foster families. Her first family, whom she stayed with for three years, was Arab and Muslim and would not allow her to speak English. Hall was then transferred to a second family in San Jose. She was adopted by Chuck and Jenny Hall, her third foster family. All of the money that was paid to Hall in restitutions was stolen by her new family who had access to her bank account. == Activism ==

On January 21, 2014, Hidden Girl == Current life ==

Shyima is now United States citizen (as of 2011) and currently lives with her boyfriend, daughter Athena, and son in Banning, California. == References ==