Sandeshkhali, West Bengal — As the sun rose above the horizon in the village of Adhia, Bilkes Bano had already finished all the household chores. She put on a bright red saree and left for her weekly training at Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra (GGBK), an Indian NGO working to fight human trafficking. They help rescue and rehabilitate trafficking survivors and provide legal, financial, and mental health counseling.
Bilkes was just 13 years old when she was trafficked to Delhi. She lost consciousness after having the candy the trafficker offered her, and when she woke up, she found herself at a railway station. The trafficker threatened to kill her if she would talk to anyone or try to run away. “It was dark and it was the time of monsoon,” she recalled the day vividly. “When we reached Delhi, I was introduced to a fat woman. She treated me nicely, giving me food and new clothes to wear. Later I was taken to a beautician, who worked on my hair and face for hours.”
