Sex trafficking of innocent underaged girls is one of the harshest truths of our world. 3 out of 5 people trafficked in our country are children, according to an earlier report by Business Standard. One of these children was a girl named Sulekha.
According to a report by TOI, Sulekha was thrown out of her house when she was merely 15 years old by her grandmother after her father died. With nowhere to go, she was forced to stay in the railway station and search for work.
One day, two men approached her saying that they could arrange household work for her. They went on to buy her some food and she ate it. Next thing Sulekha remembers is waking up in a brothel. She was beaten black and blue by the brothel owner who forced her into sex work.
The next few years, Sulekha underwent tremendous abuse and physical assault. Every time she tried to escape, she was caught and brought back to the brothel.
However, just before Sulekha turned 18, the brothel was raided by the word of an NGO which rescues innocent lives trafficked into sex-trade. Sulekha was then rehabilitated and sent to a care-home.
Later, Sulekha was trained to work at one of the famous confectionaries in Kolkata. She went on to fall in love with a man who worked at a bag-stitching unit nearby. The man offered to look after her and later proposed to marry her despite knowing about her past.
“I did not hide my past from him”, says Sulekha, “I often pinch myself to check if I’m dreaming!”
There is a huge stigma attached to sex-work and sex-workers in our country. They are shamed and considered undeserving of love, relationships, and a family. Kudos to the man for looking past the stigma and accepting Sulekha for who she is. We wish the couple a happily ever after!