Protecting women from exploitation and trafficking

South Asia has one of the highest numbers of women and girls being trafficked in the world. Around 8 million women are trafficked into and within South Asia every year. 

Areas that share borders are often key epicenters of activity. Women and girls are usually trafficked for bonded labour in informal sectors such as agriculture, construction, textiles, domestic work and forced sex work. Trafficking is also linked to early marriage of school-aged girls.

Sushmita’s story is sadly like many others. She was struggling and supporting a family of ten in a small village in rural India, which was challenging enough. Poverty and lack of opportunity surrounding her was making it so much harder. When the contractor arrived in her village promising work, how could she say no? He was charming, convincing and kind. He even said she would be allowed to take her whole family with her.

Yes, the cotton farm was far away, in a village she had never been to, and Sushmita was nervous about leaving her home. But she did what she had to for her family. Packing up what little they had, the family left to begin a hopeful new life. She got on with the work. It was hard and the weather was sweltering, but she was determined to make the most of this opportunity. After many days of toiling, she went to receive her pay from the landowner. What happened next destroyed her. “When we went to the owner to ask for our wage,” Sushmita recalls, “he said that he’d already paid the contractor and refused to pay us.” The contractor was a trafficker.

Increasingly common in extreme poverty areas following crises, such as the pandemic, these traffickers exploit struggling families, recruiting them into labour work and then escaping with their salaries. Sushmita and her family were left heartbroken and in shock. Sushmita began to pack up their things to return home – but her troubles had only begun. The landowner’s men assaulted them, forcing them to stay. They claimed the work had been paid for in advance. In fact, they claimed Sushmita owed the landlord money. Unable to leave, they had no choice but to continue working, even though they knew they would never receive anything for it.

“We often worked without food or water,” says Sushmita, remembering the pain. “We faced so many challenges.” The family would only be given food and water when not doing so prevented them from working. And, on the rare occasion where they were given small amounts of money, it was simply a ruse to increase their “debt” by way of an invented interest rate, in order to keep them working indefinitely. Sushmita was frightened for herself and for her family. Perhaps most of all, she was terrified for the youngest child, who was still a baby. With no money to purchase milk, they struggled to find enough water to feed him. Every day she became more desperate. She kept trying to escape, sometimes carrying him on her shoulders. Malnourished and exhausted, they were no match for the landlord’s security, who forced them back each time. Close to giving up, they were finally able to sneak a message to someone in their village who helped them contact a helpline that Karuna supports. The project workers soon arrived, along with the police.

Finally, Sushmita and her family were free. But the support didn’t stop there. Once she and her family were safe, the project helped them to register their citizenship. This was something they couldn’t have done alone and ensured they would not be exploited in the future. They were supported to access rights and benefits, including rations for the whole family. The project even helped them to set up a family-run shop, while Sushmita was supported to attend sewing classes and received her own sewing machine. Now, she runs her own business. “If the project hadn’t gotten us back,” Sushmita says, “we would have been working tirelessly and our whole lives would have been spent being like slaves.” Today, she tells anyone she can about the helpline. “I want to spread awareness about the helpline number. The way it helped us, I want to help other labourers who are stuck.” Your donation means that hundreds of other families like Sushmita’s have been able to break free from exploitation and access their rights.