Human trafficking exists in virtually every country around the world, but in some locations certain factors coalesce so that it thrives to the traumatic detriment of those most vulnerable. Priya’s story proves this true.
“I grew up in a village in India. As the youngest daughter in a large family, I was virtually invisible. Food was hard to come by, even when we had it, I was the last to eat. So one day when a recruiter came to my village in search of young women to work in the city, My father, desperate for money, sent me with him. And I, desperate for food, had no choice but to go.
The city was filled with cars and people and worn down buildings. We took so many turns it seemed we were driving in circles until we finally stopped. He grabbed my arm and pulled me through hustling crowds on the sidewalk, down an alley, into a doorway. My eyes strained to see in the dark. Rats scurried from our steps. The smell of urine sat stale as we moved up a flight of stairs. Women oddly dressed took no notice of me as we passed them in the hallway and entered a closet sized room. Was I here to wash clothing or perhaps cook meals? Another man with crooked teeth entered the small room and they spoke in a dialect I was not able to understand. In a moment, the recruiter was gone. The man with crooked teeth looked at me and said, “You will make me lots of money.” I was sold for $400. I was 13.
I tried to fight. But at 13, I couldn’t fight them off. Customers came. So many customers came. I wept. I wanted to die. The days darkened into months then years. This was not the life I wanted. This a life no one wants. It is brutal, dehumanizing, and unforgiving. But then, I conceived. A small life created in such ugliness. Against all odds, I carried the baby to full-term while still enduring daily abuse. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy right there in that brothel. I was happy to not be alone, to have someone on my side. I dreamt of what the future might hold for my son… and perhaps for me if in his teens years he would help to take me from this place. Four days later he died. Life had no meaning. In time, when I conceived again and was forced to abort the pregnancy I felt nothing… except fear when days later I learned that I was HIV positive. Once Crooked Teeth found out, he pressed me into a depth of depravity that words cannot express.
As the virus took hold, my body began shutting down, soon I could barely move. I just laid there. But Crooked Teeth kept selling me until I was worth less than the bed I was laying on. He picked me up, carried me outside, and left me in the alleyway to die.
I woke in a hospice care facility where I learned that an aftercare specialist named Seena found me in the alley and brought me to this place to care for me. Me? Why would she care for me? She visited, but I had little to say. She spoke about hope and a future and though I was hesitant to believe, she gave me a reason to live. My body responded well to the medication. My strength grew. In time, I was released. I survived. I survived it all.
I have been with Aruna for five years now. As I look back, I never imagined life free from that place because I was a slave there. I tried to run away but never succeeded. I thought I would have to live there until death.
But now…this place, these people, this life…Aruna is where I am meant to be. I enjoy my freedom, do things my way – like get up late on holidays – and become a master in tailoring. And help bring freedom to other women just like me.”
Aruna, which means Bright Morning Sun in Hindi, represents a new chapter in the lives of these incredibly brave women. Aruna is an Athleisure lifestyle brand creating lifelong freedom for victims of sex trafficking through employment marked by holistic care. In short, Aruna frees, employs, and empowers. This is accomplished through hosting Aruna events across the US with thousands involved to raise awareness of sex trafficking as well as funds to bring freedom. Those funds are primarily used in Aruna’s Training Centers in the heart of the brothel systems in India to free women through Trauma-Focused cognitive behavioral therapy and financially incentivized Skill & Trade development. Once freed, a woman has the opportunity to step into Aruna’s Transitional Housing and Freedom Business. In the Freedom Business she earns a living wage, retirement savings, access to healthcare and ongoing trauma informed counseling in a community of others who have overcome. The Freedom Business produces Ahtleisure bags and accessories that are marketed in the US to the Aruna event participants as well as the open market through a direct to customer marketing strategy and select retailers. Aruna leverages this model to create employment opportunities in the US for those freed from sex trafficking domestically as well. Through this model Aruna envisions a day when every young women is free to choose her own adventure.
Photographs by Alison Wright Photography