I am not so worried about my own future but my children are my sole concern. A mother who neglects her children, is no mother at all.
We thought it was a normal job. To us it didn’t look like bonded labour. Many women were working for him. They told me that he was a very bad man. I didn’t believe them then. Even if you want to extract labour from someone, be reasonable about it. Pay reasonable wages the them. Don’t abuse or threaten them.
There was no one to protect us. I used to wonder if someone would rescue us from him. I prayed a lot.
My children rushed to me crying. They said, “He had hit us because you didn’t work for them”. In my anger, I confronted him. “Why are you beating my children?” He then came after me and hit me with a log. I felt very pained. [crying]
When he hit me, the courage came to fight back. If we are right, there is nothing wrong in fighting back. Justice is on our side.
When I called IJM over the phone they came to meet us. They reassured me. “Don’t worry, Gowri. We will definitely help you”. Had IJM not come, I would not have been a mother to my children. I am very happy. I’m even happier that my children are studying. They are learning. They are happy. I want them to become doctors and teachers. I want them to work in a good environment.
In freedom, I am happy and at peace. I’m able to interact freely with others and I am able to enjoy that with my children. I feel proud and happy as a mother.
Narrative provided by IJM
Original narrative can be found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZT-CqkPnzw
