Four years after being rescued from a brothel, Shanti* is on her way to becoming a nurse.
Shanti had a difficult childhood, being raised by a single mother who worked long hours to support her daughter after Shanti’s father gambled away the family savings. In 2020, after an argument with her mother Shanti ran away with her boyfriend Nikhil, whom she had met on Facebook. Nikhil coerced her into engaging in sexual relations with individuals in exchange for money, and she was later lured into commercial sexual exploitation at a local resort. For several months, Shanti was forced to have sexual relations with different men until police raided the resort and rescued Shanti and four other minor girls. The police worked with the Justice Hub to reconnect Shanti with her mother.
After the rescue, Shanti was placed in a shelter home where she and her mother received counseling. The Justice Hub social worker encouraged her to pursue her studies, and her natural inclination showed when she scored 62% on her Class 12 board exams, even though she had been unable to attend school for months. When Shanti turned eighteen, she returned to her mother’s house but continued to receive support from social workers and counselors. Shanti eventually enrolled in college to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree, and when a significant financial crisis threatened to derail her education, a partner organization in the Justice Hub stepped in to provide financial support.
Shanti is in the 6th semester and has applied for General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM). She is receiving financial support to pay the fees associated with preparing for the written test for GNM and is on her way to a promising future.
*All names changed to protect identities.
