Purnima and Vijay eloped in 2017. Both their parents were furious and did not accept their marriage. A year later, Purnima and Vijay were blessed with a son. Vijay's family constantly pressured him to leave and he eventually abandoned Purnima and their infant son.
With nowhere to go and no family to return to, Purnima and her son stayed in the village in Uttar Pradesh. A neighbor, Vinita, befriended Purnima and introduced her to Rekha, a woman who ran a tailoring shop in the village. One day, Vinita invited Purnima to accompany her to Rekha’s tailoring shop. When they reached the shop, Purnima discovered the tailoring shop was a front for a brothel! Both Vinita and Rekha turned on her and forced her to start servicing customers. Purnima resisted but finally relented, as both women were much older than her.
Freedom Firm and local police rescued Purnima on March 17th, 2021. In her statement at the police station, Purnima shared that she was forced to attend customers and earned anywhere between Rs.500 to Rs.2000 ($6-$27) per day.
Purnima was released later that day because her son was alone at home. Freedom Firm social workers counseled her at the police station and also met her at home. We hope Purnima will participate in life skill classes in the coming days so that she begins to draw inspiration and learn skills that will be beneficial for her in the future.