The Backstory
They were 14 and 16. National Geographic reporter, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, follows the devastating stories of two young girls, Sayeda and Anjali, in West Bengal sold into sex slavery. In 2016, over a million children were victims of child prostitution according to the International Labour Organization, and unfortunately, the industry of human trafficking is growing. Out of the cases reported in India, West Bengal accounted for a quarter of them even though only contributing to 7 percent of India’s population. This ravaging hub of illicit trade contributes to the growing number of girls sold into brothels in Bangladesh, however, West Bengal is as much as a destination: the long border, including many unguarded stretches, with Bangladesh and Nepal, becomes advantageous for smugglers to bring young girls across borders illegally.
The Journey to Sex Slavery
So how are these girls, especially at such a young age, forced into slavery? In short, mental manipulation. Both Anjali and Sayeda met young men, whom they fell in love with, and eloped shortly after. The promise of a better life, especially with many of these young girls desperate to leave their life of poverty and absolve from the suppression from unfair cultural norms within their own home, persuade girls to run away, oblivious of the disastrous life ahead. Young men exploit these naive girls who are unaware of the real intentions of their so-called “boyfriends”: the girls enjoy the few weeks of their fabricated love life before being sold into a life of prostitution and never seeing them again. But, these cruel strangers are not the only ones selling innocent girls, it happens within their own home. According to the Global Slavery Index, “Women are reportedly sold off into marriage by their families, sometimes at a young age, and end up enduring severe abuse, rape, and exploitation by their husbands.”
India’s male-dominated society perceives women much lesser than men, leading families viewing girls as burdensome. Relatives and even their own parents sell girls into sexual slavery for money in impoverished homes: girls are forced to believe that the sale of their own life is for the betterment of their family and are ultimately left with no choice.
Life in the Brothel
This story follows the experiences of Anjali and Sayeda who were sold to a brothel in a major industrial city, Mahishadal, in West Bengal. Prasanta Bhakta was the man who ran the hotel with 20 sex workers, he raped the girls to “assess what he could charge his customer for having sex with him.” A color-coded system was in place for advertising the price of the young sex workers - $6.71 for girls who were “closest to virginhoods” to as low as $3.36 for girls who were deemed unattractive or overweight. The girls sat in plastic chairs as they were assessed then selected by male clients: they were taken advantage of up to 20 times a day. For many workers, drinking was imposed upon them by brothel owners to make them more compliant, but nevertheless, the intoxication helped girls handle sexual abuse. And sexual abuse was not the only torture these minors endured, the physical torment was inhumane: Anjali shows cigarette burns on her lip and Sayeda describes “Bhakta sometimes ordered one of the girls to flog one another, with a belt or stick, while he watched.” Painkillers helped with physical violence. As for the emotional suffering, it was inescapable.
Freedom but not Justice
Police were corrupted and immersed within these sex markets for young girls, either paid off by smugglers to cross borders, friends with owners of brothels, and at worst, customers. Girls, most times illegally in a country, feared going to police officers. Police raids were frequent in some environments, but many times owners and employees were given warnings and had enough time to lead girls to a safe house. Anjali and Seyada describe their experience as “even [being in a safe house] didn’t mean a respite from sex work. Sometimes the girls were forced to have sex with [clients] on a bed sheet spread on the ground.” Girls sometimes live their whole life in the bounds of sex slavery while some are freed through police raids. But, this does not mean owners are prosecuted. India’s weak judicial systems allow sex slave owners, traffickers, and employees at brothels avenues of escape: long prosecutions allow bail to be inevitably granted, weak investigations, and lack of incriminating evidence. Stories are told by girls suffering from sexual abuse after they are freed from brothels by police: they are intimated and threatened to change their initial statements incriminating traffickers. In her study analyzing the prosecution of sex trafficking cases in India, Ankita Chakraborty says “The majority of cases end in acquittal.” Bhakta was arrested in April 2017 as Anjali, Sayeda, and many other sex-trafficked girls were also released. Bhakta’s lawyers arranged his release on bail, but when he did not manage to be discharged, he escaped. He was only in jail for a year and a half.
The Suffering Never Ends
Home is not the first place these girls return to. After being freed, some girls refuge in shelters. These centers accept girls rescued from brothels or children vulnerable to being forced into prostitution. Here victims are offered counseling, training in trades to prepare for a return to society, and medical care. Why not home? Many girls, if having the ability to speak to their families at home, lie and say “they are factory workers” and “will be home soon,” out of mere embarrassment. If they do return, their societal label becomes a girl who worked in a dirty profession. Sadly, the blame is often laid on the trafficking victims. Sayeda’s parents believe enrolling her daughter in dance school, where she was manipulated and forced into sexual slavery by a young man, was the cause of this tragedy. Anjali’s mother tells her “Don’t ever set foot on the wrong path again” and set strict rules and safety precautions on her. Returning home for these girls becomes difficult as some families do not accept them back out of fear and shame, inevitably driving girls to stay in a life of prostitution. Illnesses and diseases are more common among these girls with deathly effects: Sayeda died from liver failure attributed to excessive drinking. Death becomes an escape for girls as suicidal behavior and poor mental health result in victims of sexual abuse. The struggle to rebuild their life is exhausting. Anjali says towards the end of her interview, “I don’t love anybody anymore.” And when victims are asked if they will fall in love again, the answer is usually no.
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