Teenage girl trafficked and assaulted in South Asia
Human Trafficking
April 2025
In February, local officials helped a desperate mother find her 18-year-old daughter who had been trafficked, assaulted, and forced to clean houses in a major city.
The abuse began when the teenager started looking for work to support her mother. One of her friends connected her with a man who promised well-paying jobs if she moved away from home. Desperate, she accepted and left without her mother’s knowledge.
This man immediately moved the young woman 600 miles away from her home and trafficked her to the owner of a ‘placement agency’. The agency owner confined her, raped her repeatedly, and then forced her into domestic work.
She hated the work and often tearfully refused, pleading to go home to her mother. Her objections made the owner move her from one house to another. Within the span of a month, she was forced to work in four different houses.
Her employers gave her very little food, never let her step outside, and kept her under constant watch. At the fourth house, even getting fresh air on the balcony was off-limits.
Meanwhile, back at home, the victim’s mother had no knowledge of what had happened to her daughter. But when she did not come back home that evening, her mother panicked and reached out to a local NGO to help her find her.
About a week later, the mother received a call from the agency owner. He complained that her daughter was refusing to work. He threatened that unless she paid the money that he had “invested” in her daughter, he would not let her go.
The mother and daughter briefly connected over the phone. The mother later shared, “She told me they beat her, do not give her food, and do not let her step outside. She begged me to come and take her away.”
As soon as she sought help from local authorities, the head official issued an order to bring the trafficked girl to safety. That same day, a team of government officials and police officers immediately went to the residence where the girl was working as a domestic help. Representatives from IJM, and other NGOs also provided assistance to officials.
The team found the girl kept under strict surveillance and immediately moved her to the government office where she was reunited with her mother. Witnessing this heart-warming moment, an IJM staff member said, “When the mother first saw her daughter at the government office after rescue, she had tears in her eyes.”
After receiving support from an IJM social worker, the survivor divulged details of her sexual abuse and was brought to a hospital for a medical check-up. An IJM staff member stayed with her until she was safely moved to a temporary shelter home, where she will receive specialised aftercare before returning home with her mother.
Highlighting the significance of this operation, an IJM staff member said, “This case highlights how traffickers lure vulnerable girls from remote villages only to exploit them in major cities, where the demand for domestic workers is high.”
IJM is working with local authorities to kickstart legal action against the trafficker. IJM will also provide ongoing support to the girl and her mother as they recover in freedom after enduring a traumatic month.
Find out more about IJM's work to stop violence against children and women
*Survivor in story not pictured