When Sadhna* describes her childhood, her face lights up. She remembers running through bright green rice paddies around her village in India, playing with her little sister and plucking ripe mangoes from the shady trees near her home.

When her father died, though, Sadhna's perfect little world fell apart.

Her mother moved with the girls into the huge city of Kolkata to find work. On top of the shock of living in a new place, 14-year-old Sadhna had to start working to make ends meet.

A woman in the community promised to find her a good job, pretending to care about meeting the needs of her poor family. It was a trap.

Sadhna knew right away that something was wrong when she was taken to a room full of strange men, beer bottles and crushed cigarettes.

"I didn't like the atmosphere, and I asked them to let me leave. They told me to sit and have a glass of water…I don't remember anything after that."

Several hours later, Sadhna woke up—disoriented, naked and afraid.

As she laid on the floor of a dark apartment in Kolkata, she learned that it was actually a private brothel, and she was now the property of the woman who brought her there.

Night after night, Sadhna was sold for sex. Sadhna lost hope of ever finding her way out of the grasp of the woman who sold her.

With the support of people just like you, IJM was able to work with local police and find the private brothel. Together, we mobilised a rescue operation to free Sadhna. As her traffickers were arrested, Sadhna was brought from the abuse of the brothel to the warm embrace of an aftercare home to begin the process of healing. There, she met dozens of other girls just like her who survived sex trafficking—girls who showed her that hope was possible.

Soon enough, Sadhna's fun, feisty spirit came back, and she returned to the brave girl she was before. She even testified boldly in court against the traffickers!

Today she has a whole new chance to chase her dreams, and when she talks about the future, her resolve is serious: "My dream is to complete my education and get a job as a social worker, to hear the stories of other girls and help them."

English classical folk singer-songwriter, Roo Panes, has devoted the track 'Warrior' in his latest album, 'Quiet Man', to IJM's fight for freedom. We caught up with Roo for a quick chat before leaving for another European tour. See what he had to say:

What made you want to support IJM?

I love IJM. Obviously I share their heart, but what I was so impressed with is how functional and effective they are.

What inspired you to write Warrior?

I wanted to write a song about overcoming. I originally wrote it drawing from my own personal experiences, it's a song of encouragement for people in hard times.

But then after I wrote it, I began speaking to IJM about how I could help and this was the track I wanted to use. The theme of overcoming felt so apt for fighting trafficking for the survivors, so I finetuned it to support IJM's work.

You had the opportunity to visit IJM's work whilst you were in the Dominican Republic, what was that like?

It was really special to see redemption in action. I visited a shelter home and was able to play to some of the survivors. It was amazing to see them in a loving environment, knowing where they had come from. Just to see the fruit of the work, that was really beautiful. The survivors were so kind to me, I walked away feeling really blessed.

I was also struck by the dedication of the IJM team, their commitment was so evident.

She plays Marta, a survivor of sex trafficking. We asked her what it was like to take on this role:

"It was draining and intense, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Whenever I begin working on a character I always start by asking myself a question: What is it about this character that makes it important to tell their story, why is it crucial for the world to listen? With Marta the answer was instantaneous, she’s a fighter like all the women and men that went through such an ordeal and people should know their stories."

"I hope that the video will help in lifting the taboo off the topic of trafficking and that the viewers will feel encouraged to engage in an honest conversation around sex trafficking and other forms of trafficking."

Will you send rescue to people who are trapped in slavery?