She's just been rescued and can't stop smiling!
At 4:20 the evening of March 16th, 2023, the police and our team rescued a Bangladeshi forced victim from a lodge in Surat, Gujarat. Shabnam was trafficked to India by her husband 3 months ago on the pretext of a holiday. However, once they reached Daman , Shabnam's husband forced her into prostitution. When she refused, he beat her severely until she finally agreed. He forced her to have sex with 10-15 customers a day and kept a close eye on her and her mobile phone. She was taken to different areas to attend to customers. Post rescue we noticed that Shabnam had fresh bruises on her face and chest. She shared her husband had beaten her the night before with his belt. Shabnam was overjoyed at being rescued and couldn't stop smiling, she said, " I am happy now because I don't have to do this dirty work anymore."
In the weeks after her rescue, Shabnam has become resistant to filing a complaint or giving her statement. We hope that she will begin to trust us and the help we are attempting to give her. She could be released back to her husband if she remains unwilling to cooperate and take steps for her own safety. This must be a difficult and confusing time for her, we hope she will find the bravery to take steps in a new direction. We will continue following up with her as long as we are able to.