Being the third daughter of my parents, I often wondered why they were so particular about where I go and who I speak to, while my cousin of the same age enjoyed way more freedom than I did.

All these naïve thoughts left my mind as soon as I witnessed the other side – the dark reality of the world. Considering the number of rape, kidnapping and trafficking cases, this world doesn’t seem quite an easy space. Today, I care for my niece exactly the way my parents did for me and my sisters. We panic whenever she goes out to play without informing us and have strictly instructed her not to talk to strangers.

However, cutting freedoms of our girls shouldn’t be the solution. Supporting this thought, Kolkata-based Smarita Sengupta works towards restoring the lives of the trafficked women and helping them become independent – both emotionally and financially.

Smarita’s NGO, Destiny Foundation, helps rescued women get an education, employment and does its best to help them restart their lives from scratch. Excerpts from a chat:

Take us to the first day when you had rehabilitated a trafficked victim. From telling your friends to contemplating the act, what thoughts did you take to bed?

Honestly, it is quite difficult to express all those emotions and thoughts in words. Let me try. My first rehabilitation incident happened when I was working with a Kolkata-based NGO called Apne Aap. I came across a victim from Bihar who needed a place to live as she was facing issues with the inmates of the shelter home she was residing at. I brought her to my house and she stayed with me for about 3 days. Later, we found her a better shelter home to live.

I remember her waking up early in the morning because of the horrifying experiences she had encountered. In those three days, we exchanged many dialogues and hence, formed an emotional attachment with one another. While I was somewhere sad for her life situation, I also experienced happiness as I felt content for helping her in the difficult time.

Are you in touch with her now?

Yes. She lives in Delhi and has even got a job. She sounds cheerful whenever I speak to her.

Have you ever received a threat because of your work?

Many times, in fact. There have been several incidents that have scared me off or made me uncomfortable. With this, I want to share one incident.

Go on.

There was a young girl whose mother used to work in a red light area. She got attracted to a boy, but unfortunately, the boy had other plans. He was abusive and even forced her to get married to him without her consent. The young girl decided to run away on her wedding day as she was very scared of this man. She messaged us and we brought her to our home. The very next day that boy came over to my place and threatened to kill me. Scared, we informed the police. Similar incidents keep happening but the idea is not to give up because of the negative powers.

What if someone doesn’t know how to contact you?

We try to reach out to as many as possible using our contacts. We find them through our closed networking groups and organizations. Also, the police keep us informed. Later, with the support of certified institutions, we get them better jobs after building their skills so they can regain their pride and confidence. Anyone who needs us can contact us here.

And what about those who aren’t the citizens of India? I have heard stories of people from Nepal coming to our country in search of jobs and later getting harassed.

We follow the same protocol of training them in their interested fields and helping them grab jobs at Destiny. Once they hone their skills and collect enough money, they go back to their countries.

How do you raise funds?

At the moment, Destiny is self-funded. We depend on our business income majorly. Our aim is to become self-independent and thus refrain from taking donations on a permanent basis. We are glad that our products are liked by both national and international clients. Their appreciation motivates women and helps us grow.

In fact, there was an international customer who bought a Katha fabric blanket from us and loved it so much that she framed the blanket and has put it as a wall hanging.

All the best.

Thank you so much.

Since these women have gone through immense trauma and carry heavy emotional baggage with them, does it become difficult to speak to them?

It’s natural. After a brutal experience, anyone can lose his/her trust in other human beings. Talking to someone can take long. At our organization, we never ask them questions because we don’t want to put them in that spot again. We refer to their case studies and police verification to understand what they have gone through.

Would you like to share an emotional trafficking story?

It is difficult to pick one since all stories are emotional, brutal and against human rights. (After a long pause) There was a Nepali lady who was trafficked at the age of 14. She was then sold to the red light area where she worked for more than 10 years.

We rescued her and provided her shelter. Here, she learned skills and regained the dignity. Once she felt she was ready to face her family again and is capable of making a decent living, she went back to Nepal and was reunited with her family after 20 years.

Must be extremely moving.

Indeed. When she left Nepal, her brother was 3 years old. She told us how she was not able to recognize him and how happy she was to get back to her house.

You’ve been working for these women for so many years and have heard all sorts of atrocious stories. Based on your experience, could you figure out the mindset of the traffickers?

You will be surprised to know that human trafficking is a highly organized crime. These criminals are way more organized than most of the reputed organizations in India. Every single story reflects towards their brilliant strategies and the way they approach the innocent women and girls.

Sometimes they lure through fake love relationships or marriages. Other times, girls become vulnerable when they come out of broken families. Since they have no one to go back to, they are often trapped by the traffickers.

Many women laborers are trafficked from factories. They are promised better job opportunities but then are sold to brothels.

This is horrible.       

There was a 13-year-old girl that we rescued. She used to stay with her grandmother. She got kidnapped when a chocolate was offered by a known man. All she remembered was waking up in a brothel after a couple of days. Since she was so young, she couldn’t figure out what was right or wrong and kept living the life that was forced on her until we rescued her.

A 13-year-old? What is the exact age group that is most vulnerable to trafficking?

This is going to be another sad answer, Mansi. According to a recent survey, even a newborn baby is getting trafficked. However, earlier, the age group of 8-13 years was most prone to kidnapping.

This needs a lot of courage, hats off to your unconditional efforts. Have these cases taught you anything significant?

From these women, I have learned to never let anything hamper my spirit. They are always smiling despite having faced so much. At a time when they should consider the world as their enemy, they are trying to restore their lives. They have taught me that nothing can stop us if we stick to our aspirations and there’s always a chance to move ahead.

Do you have a question or want to share a related story? Write to us at contactindianwomen@gmail.com.

[We first published this story in June 2017]