Teenage Girl Rescued from Sex Trafficking Industry Recounts Horror: 'I was Beaten and Abused'

Sex Trafficking
Sex Trafficking Wikimedia Commons

A teenage girl from Bangladesh has recounted the horrors she endured as a victim of sex trafficking, including being "beaten, abused and locked in a room" and forced to have sex with countless men.

Payal, 16, recently shared with Reuters how she was sold into the sex industry after an "agent" tricked her into thinking a dance tutor's job awaited her in India.

Days after arriving in the country, she was sold to a brothel in the western Indian city of Pune in Maharashtra state. There, she was "beaten, abused and locked in a room" and required to have sex with multiple men every night.

She was rescued nearly a year ago from the brothel, and for several months stayed at a non-profit Rescue Foundation in Pune. Her travel permit was recently issued, and she is expected to return to Bangladesh within two months along with 17 other rescued women.

"My mother cried when I told her I was coming home. I told her I was in a bad shape until a few months ago, but now I am fine," Payal told Reuters. "I am happy I am going home from a shelter and not a brothel."

She added, "I look forward to my favorite meal of fish that my mother cooks. Even if she serves me water, I'll be happy."

Paya is just one of many Bangladeshi girls trafficked to India for the sex industry; according to Reuters, traffickers frequently target poor women and children and promise them good jobs in India but sell them into brothels or domestic servitude.

For the past two years, Mosharaf Hossain, head of the consular section of the Bangladesh High Commission, has worked tirelessly to clear travel permits for a rising number of rescued trafficking victims stranded in India. He told Reuters that since joining the Commission in 2015, he's worked to "speed up the repatriation" of trafficked teens.

So far, he's sent about 438 girls home.

"I found girls and also boys from Bangladesh who were suffering a lot, waiting for long (times) to return home, because of our slow investigation," Hossain said.

"I started working faster and soon more alerts on rescued girls started pouring in. I met girls in Kerala who had been staying at a government shelter for seven years waiting...It is our responsibility to look after our destitute girls and children and ensure they go back home, safe."

A report released this week from New Delhi found a 25% rise in India's human trafficking in 2016. The report states that 20,000 women and children were trafficked in the country last year, showing a rise of nearly 25 per cent as compared to the previous year.

Almost 46 million people are enslaved worldwide - trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labor, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude - according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.

According to the DailyMail, internet usage is a key factor in the growth of sex trafficking in rural areas, as sex traffickers use social media and apps, such as WhatsApp, to send job offers to young people looking for employment.

Other times, human traffickers lure village girls into sex slavery with promises of visiting the Taj Mahal, Rishi Kant, of anti-trafficking charity Shakti Vahini, told reporters.

"For many days we were looking for six girls reported missing by their families in West Bengal state and finally managed to trace them to a brothel in Agra's red light district," Kant said.

"With police, we conducted a raid and found the six girls, and nine others. They had been confined there for two months and forced to have sex with customers. They said they had gone with the trafficker as he promised to take them to see the Taj."

    Most Popular
  • Is 'The Last Supper' worth watching? Audience and critics weigh in

    Is 'The Last Supper' worth watching? Audience and critics weigh in

    Faith-based films often receive mixed reactions, and The Last Supper is no exception. The movie attempts to bring a fresh perspective to one of the most iconic moments in Christian history, but does it succeed? Some reviews from critics and audiences provide insight into its strengths and shortcomings.

  • ‘The Chosen’ Season 5: The darkest season yet—What to know before watching

    The wait is over—The Chosen is back with its fifth season, and this time, things are getting intense. The new episodes dive straight into the final days of Jesus’ life, covering some of the most emotional and dramatic moments in the Bible. If you’ve been following the series, you already know that The Chosen isn’t just about retelling familiar stories—it’s about bringing them to life in a way that feels real.

  • Massacres in Syria: Over 1,000 dead, including Christians and Alawites

    Syria’s coastal regions have been devastated by a series of massacres, with reports indicating that over 1,000 people—many from Christian and Alawite communities—have been killed in brutal attacks. Entire families have been wiped out, and survivors are fleeing in search of safety as sectarian violence escalates.

  • Kim Sae-ron and Wheesung: The tragic irony of Korean society and the principles of happiness

    Not long ago, the media was in an uproar over actress Kim Sae-ron’s passing. Just months before, the same people who had relentlessly criticized her for her DUI incident were now expressing sympathy, saying, "The world was too harsh on her." The irony is impossible to ignore.

  • Newsboys move forward as a quartet after Michael Tait’s departure

    After more than a decade as the lead singer of the Newsboys, Michael Tait has officially parted ways with the band, marking a significant shift in the Christian rock group’s lineup. The remaining members—Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, and Adam Agee—have assured fans that they will continue forward, embracing a new season of music and ministry.