Restoration and education for 36 trafficked girls

A young girl’s dream for freedom

We want to share with you an inspiring story of one of the girls supported by this project, who has been able to return home and even give back to the community

Sunita’s story

(name has been changed to preserve anonymity)

Sunita was trafficked at the young age of 8, spent years in a brothel in India, which resulted in emotional, physical and lifelong scars. Together with our local partners and donors, Free a Girl is able to help Sunita and other girls obtain freedom and fight for justice.

Sunita is from a low socio-economic background in the district of Sindhupalchok, Nepal. One day she went with her relative to visit a temple. This relative took her to India and sold her to a brothel, and told her parents that she got lost in the temple. She was only 8 years old then. She doesn’t remember many details about how she was trafficked. She spent four years in a brothel in Kolkata, India. One day, in a police raid, she was rescued and was placed with of our local partners in Kolkata.  She was found to be HIV positive and was given ARV to suppress the virus and stop the progression of HIV disease. After ten years, our local partner in Nepal, Shakti Samuha, repatriated her from India to Nepal. There she received shelter support, counselling and vocational training. She stayed in a halfway home for 2 years. It was difficult to locate her family, as Sunita had a vague memory of her village and only remembered her mother’s name. However, eventually her home was located and only after several visits, was Sunita reintegrated with her family.

With the help of our local partner Sunita has received support for Buffalo farming so she can earn an income. She is engaged in a trafficking-survivors group in her district and is working as an agent of change to fight against human trafficking locally.  Now she says, “whatever had happened to me, no other girls should ever go through it. For that, I am actively raising awareness in our community.”

Young Sunita thought her life was over when she became another girl lost in the dreadful brothels of Kolkata. We help rescue girls like Sunita in Nepal and provide them with shelter and the hopeful prospect of a new chapter.

Free a Girl’s projects in Nepal assists in the rehabilitation of girls that are victims of child prostitution through medical and social care, education, life-skills, and vocational training. We support the girls to attain financial and social independence. In 2016 alone, together with our local partner, we provided critical care, education and training to 32 rescued girls in a halfway home. Out of these 31 girls, 11 chose to receive formal education while 13 chose vocational training courses. Four victims of human trafficking received legal support to file their cases, which could not have been done without the help of your donations. Thank you for your continued support.