[Survivor Series] I was sold to a mill and forced to work 12 hours a day with no breaks

I was only 19 years old when my family forced me to give up my education and start work at a textile factory in Coimbatore. We were very poor and they managed to convince me that I would not only have a good income, but that I could study in my free time. My neighbour, who recruited me, was paid Rs 3,000. Once I reached the mill, I discovered that reality was very different.

We were all forced to work for more than 12 hours a day, with no breaks at all. There were frequent night shifts, the working conditions were dangerous, and none of us was given any protective gear when working with the machines. We were forced to live in hostels where the food was scarce and unhealthy. The bathrooms that we were sharing were dirty and poorly maintained.

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I fell sick frequently and started having very painful menstrual cycles. Despite being ill, I was forced to work even when I asked for a small break to rest during the day. I was never allowed to speak to my family, and we were not allowed to go home. If we asked to speak to our families, the hostel wardens would get violent and throw vulgar abuses at us. The wages they paid us were so poor that I could not even think of escaping and going home.

Finally, my parents, who had been trying to reach me without success, got in touch with READ – an organisation that works against slavery and labour exploitation. They rescued me from the mill with police support. The organisation continued to support me and trained me, and I joined the Erode District Women Federation, where I have now become the Secretary. We are a women’s federation that strives for the sustainable development of society. 

As a survivor of trafficking, today I am a community leader with ILFAT, where I fight for the rights of textile and spinning mill workers. We are also working to prevent the exploitation of girls and women who are trafficked. 

At India Leaders Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT), we are survivors of forced labour and sexual exploitation. Some of us have been trafficked into working at brick kilns, agricultural labour, and domestic work. Some had been forced into prostitution. Many of us were sold when we were still children. 

Our stories of exploitation may seem different, but we are all victims of poverty, deception, and exploitation. We had been forced to provide labour and sexual services, held in bondage and are still fighting for justice. We need a better law that covers all forms of human trafficking, that will lead to a better conviction of offenders, provide better support to victims, and eventually take measures to stop human trafficking altogether.  

(As told to Diya Koshy George)