Khushboo was just 15 when discovered in a brothel in the north Indian state of Bihar. She was one of four girls being sexually exploited. The conditions they faced were horrendous; all of them were drugged and severely beaten to ensure they complied in serving multiple customers a day.
These girls were treated as a commodity by their traffickers –two of whom were Khushboo’s adoptive parents– who believed that they would never be punished. But their confidence would prove to be misplaced, thanks to the meticulous work of JVI’s Justice Hub partners in investigating the brothel and bringing freedom and justice to Khushboo and her friends, who were immediately put into the protection of an aftercare team, while the traffickers and brothel keepers were arrested.
Khushboo’s justice journey has been marked by remarkable courage and perseverance.
Khushboo’s justice journey has been marked by remarkable courage and perseverance. She witnessed justice with the arrest of five perpetrators, including her parents who had exploited her. Yet she also faced the frustration of discovering that the sixth perpetrator evaded police arrest and went into hiding. However, with support from Justice Hub social workers, Khushboo and her friends bravely shared information to support the search for the sixth perpetrator and testified in court to provide the crucial evidence needed to pursue convictions against the five perpetrators charged with trafficking crimes.
Within 18 months of Khushboo’s rescue, the sixth perpetrator was located, arrested, and charged. Less than 18 months later, in July 2022, Khushboo would see the first five perpetrators convicted, with the sixth convicted six months later in January 2023. All of them are now serving multi-year prison sentences and have been punished further with fines.
For Khushboo and her friends, justice has been a significant part of their journey of healing and restoration. Today, Khushboo is living a new life and thriving.
