Battle of Fate

By Annika Somani

Important Warning: There are mentions of sexual assault and exploitation 

Mumbai, the place we call home, is a city whose roads and pavements are filled with warmth and joy. The city is filled with multiple job opportunities and appears to be ‘perfect’ on the outside. However, for many young girls, this is not the case. They are often promised a good education, and citizenship in foreign countries, or even offered fake marriage proposals that are turned into bondage. One might think, ‘What could be worse than this?’ Unfortunately, it does not end here. After being sold into the sex trade by parents, relatives or even their significant others or forcibly being taken away from their family by traffickers, every moment of their life feels like a terror. 

Some teenagers view drugs, sips of alcohol, smoking cigarettes and vaping to be fun and a symbol of being cool or popular. Still, for these young, innocent victims who are forced to do labour and get beaten and tortured by flaming hot candles, matchsticks and cigarettes, every scar on their body is a reminder of the struggle every living waking moment of their life is full of.

Once they have entered the world of the sex trade, there is no guarantee as to whether they will be able to reunite with their loved ones as they are repeatedly sold, making it difficult to track them down. Their mind becomes a whirlpool filled with traumatic memories that slowly begin to erase all their happy ones. Sometimes, they can barely remember their family and friends let alone their address. They have fading visuals of who their loved ones are. 

This modern slavery has completely washed away the sense of humanity among those involved. The victimisation of these young, poor and vulnerable girls has snatched their rights from them making them feel like someone else’s property to break and sell for money. 

Like many others, Khushboo too was a victim of human trafficking. Today with Kshamta’s help she can tell us about her plans. Her dream is to run a business for fashion and design work. Although she knew the basics of stitching and designing, Kshamata’s creativity-related programs and skill-building classes have been a major stepping stool for this young woman to be able to take a step forward towards building her dream. 

Today, her success story not only serves as one which brings awareness about the impacts of human trafficking on young women, but, also one which inspires and brings hope to others. Her success story teaches us that no matter what we go through, at the end of the day it’s important to remember to light the candle amidst all the darkness, no matter the circumstances. “There’s a storm inside of us, a burning river, a drive. You push yourself

further than anyone could think possible. You are never out of fight.” - Marcus Luttrell.

By Annika Somani