*Mayanka's story. A first-person narrative.
I lived with my father, mother, brother, and sister-in-law. We were relatively well-off because my father worked in Kolkata in a garment shop. I used to go to Kolkata to collect money from my father to bring back to my family. On one of these trips, I met two ladies named Manju and Swapna at the train station. They told me that they lived in Garia and gave me their phone numbers. They were curious about my life and wanted to know who I was, where I lived, and why I came to Kolkata. I answered their questions and told them that I did zari work on sarees (decorative embroidery). Then they promised to connect me to a big company who order zari work. They would call me often to discuss the order and we developed a good relationship. I began to call them Didi (big sister).
Swapna invited me to her house at Garia saying she wanted to give me a big order. I went to her house and she asked me to stay the night so that we could go to the company the next day. I stayed with and eagerly awaited the trip. The next day she took me to the Howrah station explaining that the company was in Delhi. We took the Kalka mail and arrived in Delhi. Swapna took me to a lady’s house where I saw many girls wearing fine clothing and lots of make-up. I began to suspect that something was wrong. The next day the lady told Swapna to go to the market. She never came back. I asked the lady about Swapna and I was told that she had sold me for Rs 35,000. I was directed to have sex with men like the other girls there. I was 15 years old.
At first, I did not agree to do the work and was beaten violently by the lady every day. She forced me to do it.
I shared my story with a customer one day and asked him to tell my father where I was. He called my father and told him about what happened to me. My father went to an organization that helped him file an FIR and complete the necessary procedures. The organization then contacted the customer and the Delhi police. A raid was conducted with the help of the customer and I was rescued. I was at the brothel for one month.
*name changed to protect identity
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