When Aadhya* was 16 years old, her parents were desperately poor and unemployed in a poor village in India. Since she had no dowry, her parents were not able to find a husband for Aadhya. Sadly, her father sold her to a sex trafficker in Karnataka.
Aadhya thought she was going to Karnataka to work as a maid and was horrified to find out that she was going to work in the red light district. She tried to escape the brothel but was tortured until she stopped fighting for her freedom. Eventually, Aadhya lost hope and succumbed to life as a prostitute.
Several years later, Aadhya met a man named Aarav, who was also from her hometown. He fell in love with Aadhya and wanted to marry her. Aadhya wanted to run away with Aarav but her brothel keeper would not allow them to continue to see each other.
One day, Aadhya reached out to our staff and told us of her plight. We arranged a meeting with her brothel keeper, who refused to let Aadhya leave. Then, we contacted an important leader in Mahila Mandal, which is an NGO that protects women’s sexual and human rights. The leader in Mahila Mandal was able to convince the madam to let Aadhya leave the brothel. Then, Aadhya and Aarav returned to their hometown of Sholapur and were married. Today, she is a happy wife and mother.
