Reintegration of Survivors

[00:00:00] Trigger Warning

[00:00:02] Please note, this episode contains themes and depictions of human trafficking that may be disturbing to listeners.

[00:00:08] Listener discretion is advised.

[00:00:10] If you or someone you know needs help, resources are available in the show notes.

[00:00:19] I always thought one day I will run away from this place.

[00:00:23] But it took me some time.

[00:00:25] I was new there and I didn't know Hindi.

[00:00:28] I couldn't understand people, but I came up with something.

[00:00:32] I had planned that I would run away that morning.

[00:00:36] I thought to myself, I'd much rather die than live like this.

[00:00:40] I never thought I would make it back home, but I had to try.

[00:00:51] Sabina is a survivor of human trafficking.

[00:00:54] Her story, like the story of many other survivors, involves an escape attempt in a feat of bravery.

[00:01:01] Sabina pretended to have a major stomach ache and her traffickers took her to a doctor she had visited earlier when she had fallen ill.

[00:01:09] Her plan was to jump out of the rickshaw at a traffic signal, but she was made to sit between her two traffickers.

[00:01:16] There was no way for her to jump out.

[00:01:19] When she reached the doctor, she told them she wanted to drink some water and that she would buy the bottle herself.

[00:01:26] The shopkeeper handed her the bottle.

[00:01:29] She took a sip of water, handed the bottle to one of her traffickers.

[00:01:33] Took a deep breath and started running, flinging her slippers off her feet.

[00:01:39] She just ran, looking back only once to see that they were running behind her.

[00:01:45] Evading them somehow, she managed to get to the train station.

[00:01:49] A kind stranger helped her buy a ticket and she jumped onto a train.

[00:01:55] Although she managed to find her way home, her ordeal didn't end there.

[00:02:03] But first let's go back to the very beginning. Here's Sabina's story.

[00:02:13] It was a rainy day and I had gone to my neighbour's house to fetch some water.

[00:02:18] I used to call them Kaku and Kaki because they were like an uncle and aunt to me.

[00:02:23] It was raining so heavily that I had to stay back at their place.

[00:02:28] That day while I was at Kaku and Kaki's house, a lady came to visit my parents' house to ask about me.

[00:02:35] My mother was curious to know what she wanted from me and pointed her towards Kaku and Kaki's house.

[00:02:42] As the lady came up to the house, Kaki introduced her rather vaguely.

[00:02:47] She is Azmira, Shokut's daughter.

[00:02:50] She came in and as they were talking, Kaku asked her, so where do you work?

[00:02:55] Azmira said, I work in Sonalpur Kolkata. I see, Kaku said, and asked her to take me where she was working as well.

[00:03:04] He also told her to take me away secretly even if my mother doesn't agree.

[00:03:09] I couldn't understand much at that time and I used to trust my Kaku and Kaki very much.

[00:03:15] They were like my parents. I was even close to their daughter.

[00:03:19] They used to take care of me more than my parents did. My mother used to scold me sometimes, but they never did.

[00:03:26] Looking back now, I realise that whatever my parents told me was for my own good

[00:03:32] because it was from my dear Kaku and Kaki's house that I was trafficked.

[00:03:40] Sabina had never even asked for work. She was so young, only 14 years old.

[00:03:52] She had never even seen Kolkata. She didn't have any skills.

[00:03:56] Sabina told them she didn't want to go and that her mother wouldn't let her go.

[00:04:01] I'm so young, she said, what work could I do?

[00:04:05] But they persuaded her and here's how.

[00:04:18] Azmira told me, come along with me for just two-three days. Have a look.

[00:04:22] I said I would think about it but she kept pushing.

[00:04:26] If you want to come, you have to come right away. I won't be coming back here.

[00:04:30] Kaku and Kaki both said go and earn some money. Your parents would never scold you again.

[00:04:35] It will be good for everyone. They were right, I thought.

[00:04:39] We were so poor then. We would just get by just the basics.

[00:04:43] We had no luxuries. Kaku and Kaki used to give me soaps, shampoos, nail polish

[00:04:49] which I would never even dream of getting. I thought so highly of them

[00:04:53] and I would always consider them my own parents.

[00:04:56] So naturally, I thought they would always think and do what's best for me.

[00:05:02] I never doubted them.

[00:05:05] I still can't imagine how someone you considered family could do this to you.

[00:05:09] That a woman could do something so bad to another woman.

[00:05:13] I came home and spoke to Azmira again. She asked me if I could come with her the next day.

[00:05:21] My mind started to race with so many thoughts.

[00:05:24] Girls are married off so early in our village. I don't want to get married.

[00:05:28] I'm only 14. I want to work but there's no work for girls in my village.

[00:05:34] My parents are already asking me to get married even though I refuse every time.

[00:05:39] Maybe that's why they're so angry all the time.

[00:05:42] It was getting too much and I had to get out.

[00:05:46] So Azmira, my aunt and I came up with a plan for me to leave.

[00:05:51] It was a Sunday. I won't ever forget it was a Sunday.

[00:05:55] I put my clothes in a bucket and went to keep it with khaki.

[00:05:59] Pretending I was going to wash them. I took an empty bag as well.

[00:06:03] Our family never had any pictures clicked but after my sister's son was born

[00:06:08] we had taken a picture for the first time. All smiling faces.

[00:06:12] I remember taking that picture with me.

[00:06:14] I also stole about 200 rupees of my sister's money

[00:06:17] because I thought I should have something if I'm going to a new place.

[00:06:21] As I was packing my bag, my brother walked in and asked me where I was going.

[00:06:26] I'm going to Nani's house I said.

[00:06:29] On the way out my sister saw me and I told her the same thing

[00:06:32] that I was going to a grandmother's place and would be back in less than a week.

[00:06:37] And just like that I left the only home I had ever known.

[00:06:44] I'm going to go earn some money and come back.

[00:06:47] My family will be happy then, I thought.

[00:06:50] As I left with Azmira in a rickshaw, I was getting a weird feeling

[00:06:54] but I shook it off.

[00:06:56] We stopped at an unfamiliar place and started walking.

[00:06:59] A man on a motorbike came and asked us to come with him.

[00:07:04] Azmira told me it was her brother

[00:07:07] and started telling him about me, my family and my story.

[00:07:10] We stopped at a dingy restaurant on the side of the road.

[00:07:13] It was like a construction site with cement and trucks.

[00:07:17] Azmira's brother went to place the order.

[00:07:20] As soon as I finished eating, I knew something was wrong.

[00:07:24] I felt dizzy and unwell but we immediately left the restaurant for Sonarkur.

[00:07:29] As soon as we reached Azmira's place, she said

[00:07:32] if anyone asks you just say you're my cousin

[00:07:35] and that you've come here to visit

[00:07:37] and switch off your cell phone, she said, taking it away from me.

[00:07:41] She asked me if I wanted to go to Delhi.

[00:07:43] I refused.

[00:07:44] She then asked me if I wanted to marry.

[00:07:46] I refused.

[00:07:47] I've come here to work and work only, I replied.

[00:07:51] We had dinner and Azmira gave me a cool refreshing drink to go with it.

[00:07:56] But a few minutes later, I felt my eyes drooping.

[00:07:59] I felt very sleepy.

[00:08:01] I was so intoxicated that I agreed to whatever she was saying.

[00:08:05] The next morning, she asked me if I would go to Delhi with her brother.

[00:08:09] I said yes.

[00:08:10] I said yes to everything.

[00:08:12] Her brother came to pick me up.

[00:08:14] Except I remember the man I met the day before.

[00:08:17] He had a head full of hair and this man was bald.

[00:08:20] But not in my senses.

[00:08:22] I didn't question anything.

[00:08:24] I couldn't.

[00:08:25] I wasn't able to say no.

[00:08:27] We came to a restaurant and he told me

[00:08:29] if anyone asks you just tell them you're my wife

[00:08:32] before getting up to place the order for lunch.

[00:08:35] Again after eating, I could feel myself lose control of my consciousness.

[00:08:40] We then boarded a train and he asked me about food yet again.

[00:08:45] He was just feeding me again and again.

[00:08:48] I could see and hear everything.

[00:08:50] But I was so intoxicated that I didn't even ask why

[00:08:54] Azmira was not here or where we were going.

[00:08:57] An overnight train journey later, we'd reached Delhi.

[00:09:01] He quickly took me to what looked like a hotel.

[00:09:04] And as I looked around, I started to realize what had happened to me.

[00:09:08] I had been trafficked.

[00:09:48] I talked to psychologists, lawyers, activists

[00:09:51] and other experts for their insights on child protection,

[00:09:54] sexual abuse, cyber safety and more.

[00:09:59] Today we're looking at the process of reintegration

[00:10:02] and rehabilitation of survivors of human trafficking

[00:10:05] and the stigma they face in society.

[00:10:09] Just like Savina, many survivors of human trafficking

[00:10:13] take matters into their own hands and attempt to run away.

[00:10:16] Some are successful, some are not.

[00:10:19] But not all can escape.

[00:10:22] To explain why, here is a social worker and human rights activist

[00:10:26] Preeti Patkar who is the co-founder and director of the NGO Prerna.

[00:10:31] Prerna has done pioneering work in the red light areas of Mumbai

[00:10:35] to protect women and children from the threats of human trafficking.

[00:10:39] Don't have this perception that victims of human trafficking

[00:10:48] are tied to a chain and all the time locked up in a room or something.

[00:10:55] There are times when, yes, they're kept in captivity, total captivity.

[00:10:59] What we need to understand is if they leave

[00:11:04] a situation of exploitation, whom can they turn to?

[00:11:09] Where can they go and who's going to accept them?

[00:11:13] In a society which is so hostile and more so

[00:11:17] when it comes to victims of commercial sexual exploitation

[00:11:21] because that's how we are, right?

[00:11:23] Anything to do with sex and sexuality is always put into the category of good and bad.

[00:11:30] No matter how much we say that the person in that situation

[00:11:35] is the victim of a crime committed by somebody for gaining profits

[00:11:43] I think we still blame the victim and as long as we are going to continue blaming the victim

[00:11:48] and as long as we are going to continue trying to find

[00:11:54] false as to why did this person get into that situation at all?

[00:12:01] The entire onus is onto them and not on the society.

[00:12:06] I don't think you need to keep a victim in captivity

[00:12:09] because she's not going to run because she has nowhere to run.

[00:12:13] There is also this misunderstanding among people that

[00:12:18] the trafficker or the perpetrator is always an unknown person.

[00:12:23] That's not true. They are often known people

[00:12:26] and it is difficult for the survivor, for this victim to

[00:12:32] start blaming the known person

[00:12:36] and there is also the Stockholm syndrome, right?

[00:12:39] Where over a period of time, emotionally they are dependent on their abusers

[00:12:45] and it takes time. It takes time for them to get out of that situation.

[00:12:51] So very often we find that a victim has got out of the situation of exploitation

[00:12:57] but gone on to lead a life with one of her abusers.

[00:13:09] Another scenario is where victims of trafficking are rescued.

[00:13:13] PT tells us how most rescues in India take place

[00:13:16] and whether these operations themselves can cause trauma to survivors.

[00:13:21] Almost all the rescues that happen in India have happened through

[00:13:30] the police, the law enforcement but I must also say that

[00:13:35] a lot of intel is provided by NGOs to the law enforcement.

[00:13:41] Rescues are traumatic for the victims and they are traumatic

[00:13:45] because as a society we do not give them the message that we are here to help you.

[00:13:51] The message which they receive from our action and our words

[00:13:57] is that they are the accused, they are the culprits

[00:14:01] and we are taking action against you.

[00:14:04] So one thing that I have always heard a victim say is

[00:14:09] Isbar galti ho gayi humko chhodu

[00:14:12] and when they are at the police station, when they are in the shelter facility

[00:14:17] post rescue and they continue to make this statement

[00:14:20] changing this perception about them

[00:14:23] which they have of being an accused to telling them

[00:14:27] that they were actually the victims of a crime

[00:14:31] is a very, very difficult journey.

[00:14:33] So even telling them this ki aapko pakda nahi hai

[00:14:38] aapko chhodaya gaya hai

[00:14:41] is something they take so long to understand

[00:14:44] and I think they take so long to understand

[00:14:47] because very often our words are not matching our behaviour.

[00:14:52] We are not trauma informed in our behaviour.

[00:14:56] We are not client centric in our behaviour.

[00:14:58] We are not victim centric in our behaviour.

[00:15:01] The trauma for survivors of trafficking, sadly,

[00:15:07] does not end with their rescue or escape.

[00:15:10] They are subjected to so much stigma when they return home.

[00:15:13] Sabina narrates the experience of her homecoming

[00:15:16] and the days that followed

[00:15:18] and Preeti shares the story she's heard

[00:15:21] of different kinds of responses they must face from family

[00:15:24] and society at large.

[00:15:32] I couldn't believe I was home.

[00:15:34] It was unreal.

[00:15:36] Even today, I sometimes feel that it's a dream.

[00:15:39] I was taken to a police station.

[00:15:41] My mother had lodged a missing complaint for me.

[00:15:44] She used to cry a lot and would sit at the police station

[00:15:47] for hours, for days.

[00:15:50] The police told me that I was very lucky

[00:15:52] to be able to come back home.

[00:15:54] They also made terrible remarks and judgments.

[00:15:57] I was made to feel like a criminal.

[00:16:00] We were scared of them fearing they could do anything.

[00:16:03] They behaved badly with my mother too.

[00:16:06] They never registered my missing report

[00:16:09] but then we didn't understand anything

[00:16:11] so we couldn't speak up.

[00:16:13] We were just listening to them.

[00:16:15] People from our village also told my family

[00:16:18] not to let me stay in our house

[00:16:20] so I stayed with a maternal aunt for three months.

[00:16:23] People would come every day to ask me

[00:16:26] what happened, how it happened

[00:16:28] and many other things.

[00:16:30] They were shocked to know the reality

[00:16:32] but they didn't realize how it made me feel.

[00:16:35] I was trying to forget the past

[00:16:38] but I had to relive it every day with these questions

[00:16:41] and nobody said anything to my face

[00:16:44] but I don't know if they felt otherwise.

[00:16:47] All I knew was that I was not wrong.

[00:16:50] It wasn't my fault.

[00:16:52] I left to find work.

[00:16:54] I trusted my own people and they backstabbed me.

[00:16:57] My uncle and kaki should have been ashamed of themselves

[00:17:00] but there they were living proudly

[00:17:03] without a speck of regret.

[00:17:05] They were laughing when I returned home

[00:17:07] because they didn't expect me to

[00:17:09] and they even threatened me with physical harm.

[00:17:12] I felt my life was in danger.

[00:17:16] I think they've constantly experienced

[00:17:22] what they call as Bheedbhau

[00:17:25] where they don't get the sense of equality

[00:17:30] they don't get the sense of dignity.

[00:17:33] They say, we don't see any respect from them.

[00:17:37] They constantly experience being labeled.

[00:17:42] They constantly experience being looked down upon.

[00:17:48] They are nobody's priority.

[00:17:50] So be it accessing healthcare

[00:17:53] be it accessing education for their children

[00:17:56] be it accessing mental health support

[00:18:00] they are nobody's priority

[00:18:03] and I think when they see all this

[00:18:06] and when they experience all this

[00:18:08] they realize that they are not wanted.

[00:18:11] They are only wanted to gratify somebody's sexual urges.

[00:18:18] That's where they are wanted.

[00:18:20] Women say, our place is in the darkness.

[00:18:25] Nobody wants to be friends with us in the light.

[00:18:30] They don't acknowledge our existence once.

[00:18:33] It is daylight.

[00:18:35] Every connection and every relationship

[00:18:38] that people keep with us is only during the night

[00:18:42] because that's the time things are not visible.

[00:18:45] And I think this says a lot

[00:18:48] when women say this and all that I'm sharing

[00:18:51] is what I've learned and heard from the women themselves.

[00:18:55] And I think this is something again,

[00:18:57] as a society we need to address and we need to work.

[00:19:02] At any stage we talk of integration

[00:19:05] we talk of inclusion, we talk of social reintegration.

[00:19:09] I think when we are using all these big terms

[00:19:12] and when we are wanting to unfold these big terms

[00:19:17] into real action, I feel the onus of impact,

[00:19:24] the onus of success should not be put onto the women

[00:19:31] or should not be put onto this victim.

[00:19:34] It should be put on the society.

[00:19:36] Let us be more answerable

[00:19:38] and not all the time go to them

[00:19:41] and put the responsibility of quote-unquote success

[00:19:46] onto the fractured shoulders of these women and children.

[00:19:50] So during COVID in the red light area that we work with

[00:19:54] there were women who found themselves in further debt

[00:19:58] because there was no income,

[00:20:00] the brothel keeper was demanding for money,

[00:20:03] their pimps were demanding for money

[00:20:06] and to even survive they had to borrow money.

[00:20:10] And in one of our conversations with a few women

[00:20:14] we said, you are not thinking of going to the village.

[00:20:17] So they said, we have connection with our family

[00:20:21] but we are only wanted when we go back home

[00:20:24] with money and resources

[00:20:26] and this time we don't have anything like that.

[00:20:29] So if we go back we will again be seen only

[00:20:33] as a burden and we will be unwelcome.

[00:20:36] And it's not just me and my family

[00:20:39] but it's the entire neighborhood

[00:20:42] which will also ostracize my family

[00:20:45] which will also ostracize my other siblings.

[00:20:49] So it's not just me alone suffering,

[00:20:52] it is you know our entire family

[00:20:55] and be it urban or rural

[00:20:57] we've also seen the third responses

[00:21:00] the family gets so involved

[00:21:04] in wanting to support the woman and child

[00:21:08] through the process of healing.

[00:21:11] Wanting to know what more can they do

[00:21:14] so that this does not happen to her again,

[00:21:17] that she's not re-victimized,

[00:21:19] that she's not re-traumatized

[00:21:21] and that she's not re-trafficked again.

[00:21:23] So there's such a strong support system

[00:21:27] that in such a situation we've also found

[00:21:30] that after the initial mentoring with the family

[00:21:34] and initial hand-holding

[00:21:37] the family just takes total charge of

[00:21:40] helping the victimized person

[00:21:43] through the entire process of healing,

[00:21:47] recovery and finally

[00:21:50] ensuring that the person is in a state

[00:21:53] of overall well-being.

[00:22:01] Many trafficking survivors are sent to government homes

[00:22:04] or shelter homes by various organizations.

[00:22:07] Sabina tells us why she was recommended to move to a home

[00:22:10] and what her experience there was like

[00:22:13] and Priti gives us her take on government homes.

[00:22:23] I was never sent to a government home

[00:22:25] I was kept in a Mahila Samiti home instead for a year

[00:22:29] I never wanted to but I couldn't live at home either

[00:22:32] if I did my life would be in danger.

[00:22:35] I got counseling there

[00:22:37] but the counsellors scared me so much

[00:22:39] they used to tell me your case will be so problematic

[00:22:42] they will involve your parents and your whole family

[00:22:45] after six months of living there

[00:22:47] I was taken for my medicals

[00:22:49] they examined me thoroughly

[00:22:51] but we didn't understand the reports

[00:22:53] and we didn't even get the reports

[00:22:55] because they usually go to the courts directly

[00:22:57] is what we were told

[00:22:59] I didn't really know how a medical checkup was supposed to happen

[00:23:03] but I remember looking at the knives and other things at the doctor

[00:23:07] and I was not scared at all

[00:23:09] because no pain could be compared to the life that I had escaped from

[00:23:14] it was mentally very traumatizing for me

[00:23:16] to live inside a home

[00:23:18] and not be able to go to my own home

[00:23:20] not be able to talk to my mother

[00:23:22] being made to repeat my story again and again to so many people

[00:23:26] I was scared inside that home

[00:23:28] and it didn't help me

[00:23:30] I just wanted to be free

[00:23:32] not caged anywhere

[00:23:34] the counsellors would tell me

[00:23:35] if you go to a government home

[00:23:37] you would never be able to go to your mother again

[00:23:39] it was scary for me

[00:23:41] it was just like torture

[00:23:43] I didn't know much about Kolkata

[00:23:45] but they never let me out

[00:23:47] I wanted to go out

[00:23:49] strangely it was the same feeling

[00:23:51] as when I was in Delhi

[00:23:53] I used to look out the window to make myself feel better

[00:23:56] they used to think I would run away

[00:23:58] but why would I run away

[00:24:00] I came back from a place that I never want to go to again

[00:24:04] people from the home told me

[00:24:06] they would help me in every possible way

[00:24:08] even with my case

[00:24:10] but no help was provided

[00:24:12] they definitely took care of me

[00:24:14] but that's it

[00:24:17] I think there are kinds and kinds of childcare institutions

[00:24:21] and there are kinds and kinds of protective homes

[00:24:23] for adults who are rescued from the sex trade

[00:24:26] and unfortunately

[00:24:29] all of them do not adhere to

[00:24:32] the standards of care and protection

[00:24:34] that they are expected to provide

[00:24:36] as mentioned in the law

[00:24:38] and as mentioned in the rules of the law

[00:24:44] having said that

[00:24:45] we've seen some amazing childcare institutions

[00:24:48] where children have just flourished

[00:24:50] post-rescue

[00:24:52] and we've seen shelter facilities

[00:24:55] both for children and adult

[00:24:57] where they felt stagnated

[00:24:59] they felt wasted

[00:25:00] they were treated unfairly

[00:25:02] you know I've heard victims say

[00:25:04] we were better off in the brothels

[00:25:06] than in these shelter homes

[00:25:08] and I think this is something we definitely need to reverse

[00:25:11] I think it says a lot about us as a society

[00:25:14] if a victim comes and says

[00:25:16] I was better off in that exploitative situation

[00:25:18] and that is a situation

[00:25:20] I think we should have zero tolerance to

[00:25:22] what is an alternative

[00:25:24] so I think shelter homes

[00:25:26] should be a temporary arrangement for them

[00:25:29] even in the best of shelter homes

[00:25:32] believe me girls do feel incarcerated

[00:25:36] they do not cope to the sudden change

[00:25:39] we've seen you know from the time

[00:25:42] they have rescued to the time

[00:25:44] they brought to the police station

[00:25:46] where the statement recording happens

[00:25:49] to if she's a minor

[00:25:51] being produced in front of the child welfare committee

[00:25:53] major produced in front of the magistrates court

[00:25:56] and then kept in a shelter facility

[00:25:58] I think it's full of uncertainties for them

[00:26:01] and unfortunately this is

[00:26:04] all a very traumatizing experience

[00:26:06] because nobody is

[00:26:09] getting into a conversation with them

[00:26:11] nobody is sitting with them to understand

[00:26:14] what is it that they want

[00:26:16] and nobody is sitting to tell them

[00:26:19] what's going to happen next

[00:26:21] the other is they have seen a lot of rescues

[00:26:25] and they have seen post rescue

[00:26:27] the victim back into the sex trade

[00:26:30] so they don't even trust that

[00:26:33] you know this rescue would definitely

[00:26:36] lead into their freedom

[00:26:38] so they don't know whom to trust

[00:26:40] what to disclose

[00:26:41] what not to disclose

[00:26:43] and at every stage people are constantly telling them

[00:26:47] are you sure you're telling the truth

[00:26:49] I want to hear the truth

[00:26:51] I want to hear the truth

[00:26:53] you better tell the truth

[00:26:55] anything that you say remember

[00:26:57] there'll be so many people

[00:26:59] who will suffer because of what you're going to see

[00:27:03] so the focus she realizes is not her

[00:27:07] the focus of the society

[00:27:10] and people who are there to help her

[00:27:14] she realizes they are more focused

[00:27:17] on the perpetrators

[00:27:19] they're more focused on the abusers

[00:27:28] despite the societal focus being

[00:27:30] on the perpetrators

[00:27:32] within the four worlds of a courthouse

[00:27:34] justice is not being delivered swiftly

[00:27:37] Sabina shares what her experience

[00:27:39] with the judicial system has been like

[00:27:50] I came back in 2014

[00:27:52] 2014 became 2015

[00:27:54] which turned to 2016

[00:27:56] but there was no sign of my case

[00:27:59] they used to tell us that we would be called by the court

[00:28:01] as and when a notice arrives

[00:28:03] rest assured they said

[00:28:05] we didn't even have any of my reports

[00:28:07] the court had it all

[00:28:09] but none of us knew then

[00:28:11] that the court never keeps any of that

[00:28:13] what's supposed to be with the victim

[00:28:15] then after some time

[00:28:17] a worker from a Mahila Samiti introduced us to

[00:28:19] Lina Ma'am

[00:28:21] I felt good after meeting her

[00:28:23] my case got noticed

[00:28:25] because she took matters into her own hands

[00:28:28] the people from the home who rescued me

[00:28:31] were not the nicest people

[00:28:33] they thought that since I had come from a red light area

[00:28:35] I must be a bad person

[00:28:37] the lawyer also had the same opinion

[00:28:39] there are people who still think this

[00:28:41] since then my case has been going on and on

[00:28:44] the process is so slow

[00:28:46] it feels like it's been 9 to 10 years

[00:28:50] Covid also threw 3 years to waste

[00:28:53] till now 3 people have been charged

[00:28:55] one is still left

[00:28:57] a charge sheet has been made and sent to the court

[00:28:59] the court also said that it's difficult to find someone with just a name

[00:29:03] the next hearing is yet to happen

[00:29:06] but it's taking too long

[00:29:08] I mean I understand this happens

[00:29:10] and I'm sure something good will come of this

[00:29:13] even if you don't win

[00:29:15] I will be satisfied that I put up a good fight at least

[00:29:18] I currently work as a house help

[00:29:20] I need to take the day off from work on my court dates

[00:29:23] and so my employers know everything

[00:29:26] sometimes they ask me

[00:29:28] why are you still doing this

[00:29:30] is this for money?

[00:29:32] and I ask them

[00:29:34] why did they do this to me

[00:29:36] I don't need money

[00:29:38] I'm just a culprit to realise what they did was wrong

[00:29:41] I didn't deserve this at all

[00:29:43] why should I let them live freely

[00:29:53] Just like Sabina

[00:29:55] survivors often have their own personal definitions

[00:29:58] of what justice means to them

[00:30:00] Preeti tells us what she has heard from survivors first hand

[00:30:04] one thing that I often ask myself

[00:30:13] and I also hear from the victims

[00:30:17] and the survivors is

[00:30:19] I want justice

[00:30:21] and when we ask them to define justice

[00:30:24] they have said I want out of an exploitative situation

[00:30:28] so for them justice does not

[00:30:30] all the time mean justice through the judicial system

[00:30:35] so that is something we need to understand

[00:30:37] I know very often there is a counter argument

[00:30:40] that when the perpetrators go scot free

[00:30:43] and we are giving them a wrong message

[00:30:45] they can do anything with women and children

[00:30:48] and they can get away with it

[00:30:50] I totally understand that

[00:30:52] but if we were to look at it from a victim's perspective

[00:30:55] then let's also respect that

[00:30:57] all she is asking is out of an exploitative situation

[00:31:01] the other is yes

[00:31:03] when it comes to justice delivery

[00:31:06] through our judicial system

[00:31:08] we need to be more focused on

[00:31:11] making it victim friendly

[00:31:13] when we say making it victim friendly

[00:31:15] it means how quickly can we finish the trial

[00:31:18] and as of today

[00:31:20] I think the trial to begin itself takes so many years

[00:31:24] and yes we do need more courts

[00:31:27] we need more judges

[00:31:29] we need more workforce

[00:31:31] we need more protection system

[00:31:33] for the victims

[00:31:35] we really have to figure out

[00:31:37] a way to not recall a victim

[00:31:41] once she has reconstructed her life

[00:31:44] and the only way as of today I see

[00:31:47] that can be achieved is to reduce

[00:31:50] the time frame that is currently

[00:31:53] in existence for even the trial to begin

[00:31:56] so if the law says you know specially with POC

[00:31:59] so it does say that try and finish the trial

[00:32:02] within a period of one year but

[00:32:05] it's not happening

[00:32:07] that's why we say don't come out with new laws

[00:32:10] it's very easy to ask for laws

[00:32:13] what is really challenging is

[00:32:16] what happens after you've enacted

[00:32:19] having a law in place is not equal to justice delivery

[00:32:23] having systems in place

[00:32:26] is what is going to ensure justice delivery

[00:32:29] and I think we really need to invest

[00:32:32] in having systems in place

[00:32:34] so that justice can be delivered fast

[00:32:37] and the victim can feel

[00:32:40] relieved and can probably begin

[00:32:43] to put her past behind

[00:32:46] and enjoy the life that she has reconstructed

[00:32:52] it is when these very systems are not in place

[00:32:55] that the risk of re-trafficking increases

[00:32:58] re-trafficking as per the UN definition

[00:33:01] is a situation in which a person

[00:33:04] that has been trafficked on one occasion

[00:33:07] has visited the trafficking situation by any means

[00:33:10] and has then later re-entered

[00:33:13] another trafficking situation

[00:33:16] Preeti tells us how re-trafficking can happen

[00:33:26] coming to re-victimization

[00:33:29] and re-traumatization

[00:33:31] I think that still exists

[00:33:34] but in certain places

[00:33:37] we have definitely seen

[00:33:40] a collaborative effort

[00:33:42] and when I say collaboration

[00:33:44] it also means pooling in resources

[00:33:46] we've seen that minimise

[00:33:48] so once the child got rescued

[00:33:51] through a follow-up mechanism

[00:33:54] through a providing support system

[00:33:56] through a tracking mechanism

[00:33:58] we ensured that the child

[00:34:00] was re-integrated, re-habilitated

[00:34:03] and healed from the trauma

[00:34:07] the exploitation that she had experienced

[00:34:10] but again when it comes to resources

[00:34:13] they are so centralised

[00:34:16] they are there in certain places

[00:34:19] and absolutely non-existing

[00:34:22] in certain places

[00:34:24] so places where it is not existing

[00:34:26] rescue and post-rescue is a sham

[00:34:29] that's where in such places

[00:34:32] I think there are high chances

[00:34:35] of re-victimization, re-traumatisation

[00:34:38] and re-trafficking

[00:34:40] and moving forward

[00:34:42] I think we need to identify more such places

[00:34:45] where there is no support system

[00:34:48] post-rescue

[00:34:56] Such targeted approaches are required

[00:34:58] when addressing an issue as complex as trafficking

[00:35:02] Sabina and Preeti share

[00:35:04] what they feel we as a society

[00:35:06] can do better to help trafficking survivors

[00:35:09] reintegrate with empathy, dignity

[00:35:12] and meaningful policies

[00:35:14] by keeping the survivors first

[00:35:23] Firstly, the kind of mental support

[00:35:26] that the parents give us should also be given

[00:35:28] by people from the village

[00:35:30] or wherever the girl is from

[00:35:32] sometimes the parents also don't support

[00:35:35] but it doesn't have to be like this

[00:35:37] the woman is not at fault here

[00:35:39] she doesn't deserve this

[00:35:41] there are some who don't even have the courage to escape

[00:35:43] because they fear they won't be accepted by society

[00:35:46] most women feel scared and discouraged

[00:35:49] to escape because of this reason

[00:35:51] so if a woman has dared to do this

[00:35:54] she deserves to be accepted

[00:35:56] why are we wrong here

[00:35:58] and why not the people who did this to us

[00:36:00] still when I go to my village

[00:36:02] people say bad things about me

[00:36:04] that I live in Kolkata

[00:36:06] and that I do wrong work

[00:36:08] there is still this discrimination

[00:36:10] that I have to face

[00:36:12] but I ignore them now

[00:36:14] life's too short to get involved in all of this

[00:36:16] I dare to run away

[00:36:18] and I am alive because I did

[00:36:22] I think education and social media

[00:36:27] can certainly play a major role

[00:36:30] in changing people's perception

[00:36:32] of understanding the victims

[00:36:35] of crimes like human trafficking

[00:36:38] the reach is so high

[00:36:40] when it comes to rehabilitation

[00:36:42] I think it's so important that

[00:36:45] we listen to the voices of the rescued person

[00:36:49] and just do not stop at listening to their suggestion

[00:36:53] we need to take it to the next level right

[00:36:56] how do we incorporate these suggestions

[00:36:59] into policy document

[00:37:01] and post the policy document

[00:37:03] how do we translate it into action

[00:37:06] and I think in all this process

[00:37:09] let's try and involve the women

[00:37:11] let's try and involve the children as much as possible

[00:37:14] let's involve their families as much as possible

[00:37:17] and let's also not be rigid

[00:37:22] very often we create a policy document

[00:37:27] and we don't revisit it

[00:37:29] we are an evolving society right

[00:37:31] we are evolving human beings

[00:37:34] COVID taught us so much right

[00:37:36] so let's accept that this is going to be a dynamic process

[00:37:40] let's also accept that we cannot have one fit for all

[00:37:44] plus we need to break down rehabilitation

[00:37:47] so rehabilitation is economic rehabilitation

[00:37:51] there is psychosocial rehabilitation

[00:37:54] then there is the physical rehabilitation

[00:37:57] then there is the physical health related rehabilitation

[00:38:01] are we breaking it down and having a solution

[00:38:06] and an intervention strategy for all this

[00:38:09] once rescued what they really need is somebody

[00:38:13] who's going to trust them

[00:38:15] who's going to listen to them

[00:38:17] and who's not going to blame them

[00:38:20] who understands them

[00:38:22] they also want people to move at their pace

[00:38:27] you know this is something that we've heard so often

[00:38:30] and children coming in telling us

[00:38:32] why is it that people come and say

[00:38:35] but that one did it so well why can't you do it

[00:38:38] but look at her she's just bounce back so well

[00:38:42] and you're still crying

[00:38:44] why is this comparison happening

[00:38:46] the other is they want to live in the current

[00:38:49] in the present

[00:38:50] and one message that they're constantly giving

[00:38:53] is let my present behaviour not be compared

[00:38:57] to my past

[00:38:59] I think they definitely need safety

[00:39:01] they're looking for safety

[00:39:03] so they're like don't tell me this is a safe place

[00:39:06] because this is not a safe place where I'm being taunted all the time

[00:39:09] we need to regularly get victims

[00:39:13] to define what safety means for them

[00:39:15] and mental health again you know

[00:39:18] like we always say a wound is very visible

[00:39:21] trauma is not visible

[00:39:23] stress is not visible

[00:39:25] anxiety is not visible

[00:39:27] me feeling depressed is not visible

[00:39:29] so often neglected

[00:39:31] I think that is something that we really need to have

[00:39:34] a very realistic approach to mental health

[00:39:37] and providing that mental health support

[00:39:40] and finally livelihood

[00:39:42] let's take livelihood seriously

[00:39:45] let's understand what she wants as a livelihood option

[00:39:49] and don't make providing services conditional

[00:39:53] of what is going to happen to her

[00:39:56] or how she's going to use those services

[00:39:59] 10 years from now

[00:40:01] I think it's a right give it to her as a right

[00:40:05] don't all the time ask for guarantees

[00:40:09] and impacts of course when we're designing programs

[00:40:12] of course we have to be cognizant of

[00:40:15] what is the impact that this investment is going to make

[00:40:18] but you can't deny

[00:40:20] a person who's been so badly wronged

[00:40:24] just because she's not able to articulate

[00:40:27] how she's going to use that skill in future

[00:40:30] I mean I think safety is everybody's right

[00:40:33] giving education and an opportunity

[00:40:36] to reconstruct my life

[00:40:38] is my right

[00:40:40] you can't say well you know if I invest this much

[00:40:44] this is what I should see you being doing in future

[00:40:48] I don't know what's going to happen to me

[00:40:50] 10 years down the line or 10 months down the line

[00:40:53] but today this is what I want happening with my life

[00:40:58] so that my future is where

[00:41:01] I will be able to set my boundaries

[00:41:05] the future is where I'll be able to make my choices

[00:41:08] the future is where I can lead a life of dignity

[00:41:13] a future is where I'm treated with equality

[00:41:21] these are the voices that we hear when we're interacting

[00:41:24] with these children and women

[00:41:26] I think the way forward is to

[00:41:29] invest towards family strengthening

[00:41:31] and community strengthening

[00:41:33] to create stronger safety nets in communities

[00:41:37] I think we need to have more models

[00:41:41] around community rehabilitation

[00:41:44] how do we involve community to accept them

[00:41:48] and help these victims reconstruct their lives

[00:41:51] without any stigma, without any discrimination

[00:41:54] the other thing that we've been strongly talking

[00:41:57] and working with governments today is

[00:42:00] how is it that the government policies can

[00:42:03] reach the communities rather than the community reaching

[00:42:08] out to those offices to access services

[00:42:12] access schemes because as of today

[00:42:15] when you look at the programs and policies

[00:42:18] for rural and urban marginalised and poor

[00:42:21] we do have lot of these schemes

[00:42:24] but unfortunately either there's no awareness

[00:42:28] among the community people or the community people

[00:42:32] don't know how to access them

[00:42:34] so I think we need to reverse it

[00:42:36] let people be where they are

[00:42:38] and let the service providers do the outreach

[00:42:42] and in this process I think we should

[00:42:45] strengthen communities

[00:42:47] we have a lot of points of leadership

[00:42:50] within communities, we're not tapping on those

[00:42:53] there are places of worships in community

[00:42:56] there are self-ep groups, there are women leaders

[00:42:59] there are youth leaders, there are political parties

[00:43:02] we shy away from putting the responsibility

[00:43:06] of safety of women and children

[00:43:08] onto the local political party offices

[00:43:11] why don't we involve them in them and say

[00:43:13] this is your mandate

[00:43:15] it need not be the mandate of anybody else

[00:43:18] and I think there should be like a give and take

[00:43:21] and how do we partner together

[00:43:23] to reduce these vulnerabilities among community

[00:43:26] because of which it gets very easy

[00:43:30] for the traffickers to come and your

[00:43:33] deceive these vulnerable communities

[00:43:35] I think this is something we need to address

[00:43:38] moving forward

[00:43:43] we can reintegration as a concept really work

[00:43:46] Priti and Sabina share their parting words

[00:43:49] so we've seen a lot of them

[00:43:54] who are leading life on their own terms

[00:43:57] but we've also seen how society hasn't

[00:44:00] does not leave them alone

[00:44:02] they want to dig up their past

[00:44:04] and they want to make them miserable

[00:44:07] the other thing about reintegration

[00:44:10] is has it worked for all?

[00:44:13] I don't think it has worked for all

[00:44:16] does it not work for anybody?

[00:44:18] that's a myth

[00:44:19] it works for a lot of people

[00:44:21] it works for those who've received

[00:44:24] the support in a very very welcoming

[00:44:27] and enabling environment

[00:44:29] it has worked for those where

[00:44:31] as a society

[00:44:33] we didn't go after them post-rescue

[00:44:36] but we were there with them

[00:44:39] and the support was unconditional

[00:44:41] I think it's really worked for them

[00:44:59] I know I want to work

[00:45:02] I want to do something for myself

[00:45:05] there is no support from home

[00:45:07] because they are not capable of doing that

[00:45:09] all I want is to see my mother happy

[00:45:12] she has done so much for me

[00:45:17] for me the best takeaway

[00:45:19] and I think I talk about it everywhere

[00:45:21] is treat them with dignity

[00:45:24] don't put them into these boxes of good

[00:45:26] and bad women

[00:45:27] into moral and immoral women

[00:45:29] into frivolous and

[00:45:32] honorable women

[00:45:33] don't do that

[00:45:34] I mean there are these women

[00:45:36] because of whatever circumstances

[00:45:39] today we find them

[00:45:41] in an exploitative situation

[00:45:43] everybody in our society needs to be treated

[00:45:46] with dignity

[00:45:47] whether they're in the sex trade

[00:45:48] whether they're doctors

[00:45:49] whether they're nurses

[00:45:51] whoever they are

[00:45:52] dignity

[00:46:06] a small word with a simple meaning

[00:46:09] it is the right of a person to be valued

[00:46:11] and respected for their own sake

[00:46:14] and to be treated ethically

[00:46:16] it forms the crux of reintegration

[00:46:19] as a concept and practically too

[00:46:22] so maybe that's where we need to start

[00:46:25] giving survivors of trafficking

[00:46:27] the basic dignity they deserve

[00:46:29] it is from that foundation

[00:46:31] that we can truly make effective systemic change

[00:46:36] my sincere thanks to Sabina

[00:46:38] for courageously opening up about her story

[00:46:41] and Preeti Patkar for sharing her invaluable insights

[00:46:44] from years of commendable social work

[00:46:47] I've been your host, Lina Kejriwal

[00:46:51] do check out our work at

[00:46:53] savemissinggirls.com

[00:46:55] we have more information and resources there

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[00:47:01] and if you'd like to get in touch with us

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