My father was a richshawallah in Khulna. We were very poor. I was the eldest of 3 sisters and 1 brother. One day my cousin (mamato bon) offered to take me to Mumbai. My parents agreed. This was in 1981-82. I was 11 years old.
I was supposed to work in her house for 1 or 2 years, then she would arrange my marriage if she found a suitable boy. I worked in her house for 7 to 8 months and, when I understood the language, the bitch sold me to a woman from Kolkata for sex work.
I worked and I cried everyday. I was like a parrot in a cage. I was taught the language, I was fed when I pleased my keeper and I had no possibility to go out. The work was not the worst. I missed my family terribly. My cousin sometimes came to collect the money. When I asked her about my income she would reply:
-"You are a child, yet you speak like a grown up. Your money is there. When you go home, you can take it with you."
After one year I was freed. Then I myself decided to work in a bar. I understood that my cousin intended to sell me off as a wife to a man in Uttar Pradesh. One Bangladeshi woman helped me to escape and introduced me to bar work. Later, I paid her 10,000 rupees.
Two years after going to Mumbai, I recovered my freedom. I then renewed contact with my family and started sending them money through people. If I had been married, this would not have been possible. My cousin was angry with me. I did not keep in touch with her and I never got the money she took from me.
My work was a disgusting one but I was pleased to be able to send money home. One day, I met Ali Hussain. We agreed on a contract and I married him. I had learned a lot by then and I did not trust people easily. I made conditions very clear. After marriage, I would split my income in two: half to my family and half to my husband. I worked 8 years after this. In the end, I left because I was pregnant. We have a 5 month old child.
I have bad sores on my skin. I also have heavy white discharge like pus and it smells. I sought treatment in Mumbai. I was already pregnant when I did and the doctor told me this condition could affect my child. This is why we left.
I am paying for my past sins. I feel depressed. I cannot hide my condition.
Narrative located in the report ‘Beyond Boundaries: A Critical Look at Women Labour Migration and the Trafficking Within’ by Thérèse Blanchet provided courtesy of The Child Protection Hub
