Vidya* was 16 years old when ran away from home after her uncle tried to rape her. At a railway station, she was approached by a lady who drugged her and starved her for 2 weeks. Desperate and hungry, she agreed to do whatever the lady asked. The lady sold her for $200 to a brothel-keeper. She was forced to have sex with at least 4 customers a day. Although she tried to run away twice, both times she was caught and taken back to the brothel. Thankfully, Freedom Firm investigators found her and rescued her.
Our social workers who did follow-up visits told her about the possibility of working at Ruhamah, Freedom Firm's jewelry-making micro-enterprise, which she was very interested in. In September, our social workers were finally able to bring her to Ruhamah and help her settle in.
She says that she loves working at Ruhamah and is very excited to learn to read and write Hindi and English. She hopes eventually to study further.
For the present, she says “I want to live a good life and support my family by sending money home. I feel like I have some direction in my life and am thankful for this opportunity.”
*name changed to protect identity