On December 4th, Freedom Firm and local police rescued 14-year-old Sanjna in Kolkata. In the hours following the rescue, a tearful Sanjna told the social worker that 4 months ago her neighbor, Pampa, had approached her and promised to help her become a beautician. Instead, Pampa brought Sanjna to a brothel.
That night, a customer paid to rape her. She struggled and resisted so Pampa locked her up to punish her. The brothel keeper warned her that if she shouted for help, the police would come and take her away and never let her go again. Pampa insisted that Sanjna lie to her parents and tell them that she was working in a beauty parlor. Pampa gave her birth control pills to make sure she wouldn't get pregnant.
Too afraid to call for help and unable to trust anyone, Sanjna was defenseless. For the next 4 months, Sanjna was raped by many men.
When Freedom Firm staff rescued her a few days ago, she was terrified and couldn't stop crying. She insists that if her family ever found out the truth, they will kill her. Our social workers are comforting and reassuring her. They will make every effort to keep her safe.
Today we celebrate the rescue of Sanjna; one more girl at peace tonight.
We celebrate our our 2020 heroes, Freedom Firm staff who find and rescue them.
We celebrate you! You are an essential part of the team. Without your generosity, we would not be able to do any of this work.
Click HERE to learn more about our 2020 heroes.