Seeking to escape a difficult childhood, Rosie* married at an early age to an abusive man who treated her cruelly. Unable to bear the mistreatment, Rosie left home and was sitting at a nearby railway station, hoping for a way out, when a woman approached her with the promise of a new job. However, the woman sold Rosie to a brothel where she lived in captivity, enduring trauma and abuse, until her rescue a few months later through the joint efforts of a Justice Hub and government authorities. Rosie was one of seven minor girls rescued during this intervention, and police arrested two of the nine perpetrators.
After her rescue, Justice Hub lawyers advocated for her safe placement in a shelter home as they filed a criminal case against her perpetrators. When Rosie’s parents refused to accept her back into their home, Rosie continued to stay at the shelter home, receiving counselling and visiting her maternal grandparents. It appeared that she was finally on her way to a normal life, as she continued her education and earned income by making bags, but further challenges would test her resolve.
When Rosie moved in with her grandparents, she befriended a married man who lived next door. He deceived her into marrying him and giving him over $1000 that she had received from the government as partial victim compensation for the crimes committed upon her. Later, it was revealed that her grandmother had actually arranged her marriage to this next-door neighbor, who eventually abandoned her after she gave birth to a daughter. Discovering that the marriage was fraudulent and undertaken only to avoid returning the stolen funds, Rosie worked with Justice Hub lawyers to arrest this man and reclaim what was taken from her.
Seven years after her rescue from a life of captivity, Rosie has a young daughter and continues striving for a dignified life. She provides for her child as a wage laborer and recently expressed a desire to enroll in school. Justice Hub social workers also gave her a volunteer position that allowed her to receive training on child labor issues and accompany staff to government departments. This has built her confidence and inspired her to dream of joining the police force. Despite the many hardships that marred Rosie from her childhood, she is determined to write a better future for herself and her daughter.
*Name changed to protect identity.
