Education and your kindness are a ray of hope for Neha

With sheer determination and hardworking, Neha finished class 10 with impressive marks. Now, she is in conversation with VIHAAN-appointed community teachers and mentors to take the next step in their lives.

Born out of wrongful marriage in the rural parts of West Bengal, Neha’s* life was hard since her childhood. She was fragile with constant arguments and an unstable family environment. Her father had cut Neha and her mother financially, emotionally and physically. She stopped going to school and began to look for work.

Taking advantage of her vulnerabilities, a trafficking couple approached her with a promise of a new job opportunity as a caretaker for a dog. Neha loves dogs and she liked the sound of the job. She agreed and travelled with them to Delhi. What awaited her was sex-hungry customers. She was forced to have sex with 7-8 customers every day even during her menstruation period, and complete all household chores. She tried to escape one time but was caught by her exploiters and beaten badly. 

Thanks to the good hearts of people like you, she was rescued. VIHAAN’s counsellors helped her heal – it wasn’t an easy one, but Neha was courageous and resilient. Because of our legal team’s efforts, she received an interim compensation of INR 75,000 from the court. 

“My struggles shaped me to be who I am today. My life was difficult, but I do not want to hold on to that. It made me much more determined and resilient to face the future. Knowledge is something that would help to face society – which always looked down on me – with confidence”, Neha said with a confident smile. 

She wanted to make a better future for herself and expressed her desire to continue her education. We were able to support Neha with finances and all educational materials, including a laptop. She completed class 12 through the National Institute of Open Schooling with good marks. 

“I got good marks in class 12 and now, I want to become an advocate to fight for children who suffered abuse and human trafficking survivors’ rights. It is a long road ahead, but I will get there.”

VIHAAN provides support – financial, emotional and mentorship – for Neha to enrol in the law college. Neha is grateful for your support. Your compassion and kindness are helping Neha to achieve her dreams. 

Note: *Name has been changed to protect the identity. Photographs are not related to the story and used for illustration purpose only.