A young girl’s journey from brutality to restoration

Trafficked, tortured and shackled around the neck, Tahira* was deeply traumatised after she was rescued from a brothel.

Living with her aunt in poverty, the 16-year-old had travelled across the border from Bangladesh to India with her neighbour, who had promised her a good job. 

But when they arrived, she was sold to a brothel. And when she refused to work, the torture began. She was then chained around the neck and tied-up in a courtyard.

Following a tip-off, police rescued Tahira three months after she was trafficked and when they found her she was extremely distressed and disorientated. After being compensated by an order of the Indian Supreme Court, she was repatriated to Bangladesh.

In her home country, she was put in touch with Justice and Care, who provided her with intensive care and support, helping her open a bank account in order to receive her compensation. She was recovering well but relapsed three years later when she was summoned by the Indian court to give evidence. Justice and Care helped get  her admitted for treatment into a mental health hospital, where the director testified to a court that Tahira was unfit to take part in judicial proceedings.

Tahira is now doing much better and is getting stronger every day. She is living with her mother and spends her time stitching quilts. Her mother has lodged legal proceedings against Tahira’s traffickers and Justice and Care has been there every step of the way, taking measures to keep Tahira safe.