‘She’s going to be forever 21’
When Yarmouth mom Jennifer Holleman stands before others to talk about her daughter Maddison Fraser, she’s going to reflect on what a beautiful person her daughter was, while offering a reminder of the horrifying lifestyle she was pulled into.
“I just want to make people wish that they knew who she was and if she were standing right there, everybody would just want to go over and meet her because she’s that much of a beautiful person,” Holleman says.
On Nov. 1, Holleman will speak at the opening ceremonies for the Shine the Light on Woman Abuse campaign in London, Ont. Each year the London Abused Women’s Centre selects two women to be honoured during the month-long campaign and Maddison is one of these women for the 2018 campaign.
Maddison’s life held much promise. She was an athletic girl in her teens and was a two-time Canadian boxing champion. She had thought about becoming a nurse. She was a daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend and young mother.
But at age 19 she was targeted for human trafficking and was lured into the sex trade. She ended up on the other side of the country. At times, she was beaten and tortured. And she was trapped by the situation, fearing for her life and the safety of her family.
At the age of 21 – in July 2015 – she died in an automobile crash in Edmonton. The driver of the vehicle, who also died, was said to be a john.
Looking back, Holleman has said there weren’t a lot of warning signs about the turn her daughter’s life had taken. And Maddison also kept many things secret from those who loved her
or would reassure them things were fine.
At times when Holleman couldn’t locate her daughter or communication between the two had been cut off, she’d take her concerns to the police, but there was little help she says. It wasn’t until after Maddison’s death that Holleman learned how horrifying things had been for her daughter.
It made Holleman sad and angry. And vocal.
Holleman has been sharing her daughter’s story and drawing attention to the issue of human trafficking. Earlier this year she was given the opportunity to speak to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, which is studying human trafficking and what can be done to combat it.
Holleman is humbled that Maddison’s story will now be part of the Shine the Light campaign. In addition to spreading awareness and education about abuse against women (and abuse in many forms), the campaign also encourages communities to go purple to further spread the message.
Maddison’s photo will appear on a billboard that will be displayed in London, Ont., for the duration of the month-long campaign – her smiling face a reminder of the tragic turn a life can take.