No Longer Tarnished
When her father died suddenly in an accident, 13-year-old Saumi* took on the burden of financially and emotionally sustaining her little sister and pregnant mother who fell into depression. That’s when a woman in her neighbourhood approached Saumi, finding her a job at a local beauty parlour. But this trusted woman turned out to be the madam of a secret trafficking ring. Saumi was groomed over the next month and forced into prostitution. Shame and fear kept Saumi from seeking help.
“My life in the past was filled with darkness; I found myself in the grasp of some inhumane people. They repeatedly used to torture and humiliate me and tarnished my dignity.” - Saumi
The secret struggle of Saumi was finally brought to light a month later when International Justice Mission (IJM) and South Asian Police conducted a rescue operation. Working with local churches, IJM provided Saumi with crisis counseling and temporary shelter, eventually moving her to a long-term aftercare home. Saumi has rebuilt her confidence and is overcoming her trauma.
“My present life is filled with the light of goodness, unlike the past life that was surrounded by darkness, now I have resumed my studies again. I have also started playing sports, dancing, singing, and painting.” - Saumi
FAIR, alongside local church partner IJM, endeavours to bring freedom to more girls like Saumi. Check out the Freedom | Bangladesh special appeal on how you and your church can help set the captives free too.
To protect survivors, we have used pseudonyms and included photos that do not depict actual victims where appropriate. Consent was gathered for all images.