What began as an exciting overseas trip for a bright nine-year-old girl from L’Hospitalet de Llobregat would turn into a traumatic ordeal that she would spend years trying to forget — and is now bravely confronting.
On August 27, 2013, Nada Itrab boarded an overnight coach from Barcelona to Madrid, carrying a notebook and a lilac-coloured digital camera she treasured. The daughter of undocumented Moroccan immigrants, she had grown up in modest circumstances but excelled at school.
She was travelling with a family acquaintance, Grover Morales, a Bolivian neighbour who had earned the trust of her parents. He told them he was travelling to collect jewellery from Bolivia and had offered to take Nada along as a reward for her academic success. Her parents signed a notarised permission letter.
At Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, security cameras captured the pair lining up to board a flight to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia’s largest city.
Trust misplaced
Morales had built a reputation in their neighbourhood as a helpful, religious man who assisted families in need. Yet Nada had felt uneasy. She had seen disturbing behaviour in the past but, as a child, struggled to understand it fully.
What followed after boarding that plane would become a nine-month ordeal — details of which have emerged gradually over the years. The most crucial fact, she says, is that she survived.
Now 21, Nada is a law student at the University of Barcelona. For years, few people asked what happened after that flight. Only recently has she chosen to speak openly, determined not to be defined solely by victimhood.
From survival to advocacy
Nada has begun piecing together the events of her childhood publicly, confronting stigma and raising awareness about the global trafficking of children. Her journey reflects resilience and a desire to turn personal trauma into advocacy.
“I don’t want to just be the girl who got kidnapped,” she has said.
Her story is a sobering reminder of the vulnerabilities children can face — and the importance of vigilance, awareness, and community responsibility in safeguarding young lives.
If you or someone you know is at risk of exploitation, contact local authorities or child protection services immediately.