Imagine being held captive, chained in a dark basement in an unfamiliar home for almost ten years. Imagine having no contact with the outside world besides with your abductor. Imagine not knowing if you would be free, or worse if you were going to die. Imagine living in constant fear, as your every move is being watched. Imagine being tortured; physically, emotionally, and sexually for over 10 years and not giving up hope. This does not even compare to the agony the three women abducted from Cleveland, Ohio encountered. These women were starved, chained, and tormented by Ariel Castro. Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, two of the women abducted, wrote a memoir, “Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland.” It has been 13 years since the women have been abducted, and they begin to tell ABC News whether or not they can find forgiveness in their heart.
For those who are unfamiliar with this horrific nightmare, three women in the Cleveland area were captured by Ariel Castro and were starved, beaten, raped, and tortured for over 10 years. In April of 2003, Amanda Berry is abducted days before her 17th birthday. Castro kept Berry hostage in his home, where she later discovered Michelle Knight. Knight was a prisoner in Castro’s home for almost a year now. Berry said she as she heard the news stories headlines and her family’s plea for her to be found, she decided she needed to fight. She never gave up hope, which she said helped in her constant abuse by Castro. In April of 2004, DeJesus was abducted joining Knight and Berry. The women kept diaries to pass each awful day being imprisoned. In May 2013, the women made their escape when the door was accidently left open. Authorities then arrested Castro and the women were reunited with their families.
For the first time, Berry and DeJesus talk about whether or not they can find forgiveness. Berry tells ABC News, “I thought about that a lot, and I’m like, ‘Should I forgive him?’… and in that situation I feel like, no, I could never forgive him,”. Berry tells news reporters she doesn’t think she will ever be able to forgive Castro, “taking 10 years of my life… not being able to see how my family was.”
DeJesus has a different opinion regarding her kidnapping. DeJesus says, “I think that you have to forgive in order to move on with your life.” Castro plead guilty in July 2013 to 937 charges relating to kidnapping, torturing, and imprisonment of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus. In September of 2013, Castro committed suicide while in jail. DeJesus states that Castro “took the easy out”.
Since their escape in 2013, these three women rarely are seen in public. “We just have a bright future, and will see what comes,” Berry tells ABC News. These women show tremendous amounts of strength and courage. Even though they are free from captivity, prayers are still needed for these three women because there horrifying past will never be forgotten.
