Nita*, a 17-year-old from Bangladesh, was trafficked to West Bengal while attending a birthday party to which her friend Sahil had invited her. As Nita prepared to leave, Sahil took her phone and belongings and confined her in an unknown place for several days, during which time he sexually abused her repeatedly.
Sahil then took Nita to the residence of Asif, who trafficked girls to various locations. At Asif’s residence, she was kept under strict surveillance until she was forced to illegally cross the border and handed over to an unidentified man in India. She was sold and raped several times in six months and coerced into entertaining more than ten customers.
She suffered abdominal pains and excessive bleeding and was administered injectable contraceptives when she started to resist sex work. Her captor threatened Nita with reporting her for illegally crossing the border and demanded an exorbitant compensation if she wanted to be released.
Acting on information received about a minor trapped in a guest house, a JVI Justice Hub investigated and collaborated with the West Bengal Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Superintendent of Police to rescue Nita in March 2024.
After the rescue, Nita was taken to the local police station to record her statement and then to the local hospital for medical treatment. She is now safe at a shelter home in Kolkata, where she is receiving care and counseling.
*All names have been changed to protect identity.
