(This is part three of the The Quint’ series on trafficking of minors from Jharkhand to big cities. Read part one here and part two here. Please support us by becoming a Quint member and help us bring you the stories that matter.)
“If the employers are decent, then you will be able to speak to your daughter on phone… But if you don’t hear from her, it means there’s trouble. Get her back, file a complaint.”
This is what a 44-year-old woman in Jharkhand’s Simdega advises other women in the villages. They all listen to her intently.
After all, this woman too had once worked in the city as a domestic help, and had escaped from there after being at the receiving end of assault, abuse and casteist slurs.
The woman now works in an NGO in Simdega and spreads awareness about the many ways in which minors can be lured to cities, the red flags at homes of employers, and who to contact when in trouble.
The Quint met her at a ‘Garima Kendra’ or a shelter home for women in Simdega, where she volunteers. She spoke about her time in Delhi as a domestic help, and turning her life around after she escaped and returned to Jharkhand.
The 44-year-old woman at the shelter home in a village in Jharkhand's Simdega, where she volunteers sometimes.
(Ashna Butani/The Quint)
'Placement Agencies, Traffickers Lure Women and Minors By Saying They'll Get Good Money'
The woman hails from Orissa and belongs to the Munda tribe. When she turned 25 years old, she got married and moved to a village in Jharkhand’s Simdega.
“My husband had 1.5 acre land where we grew paddy. The money we earned from farming was not enough,” she recalled.
At the time, she had heard stories of many girls and women from the village who had left for cities to find work.
“I had heard that the money was really good, so I too left the village with some women and found a job via a placement agency,” said the woman, as tears rolled down her face.
Now, the 44-year-old believes that placement agencies and traffickers had “lied about good money” to lure “innocent girls and women to the cities.”
'Was Promised Rs 8,000 a Month But Only Got Rs 833 a Month'
She doesn’t remember where in Delhi she was employed. “All I know is that the family had a big bungalow,” she told The Quint.
When she left home, her two sons were aged two and five years old. When she returned home finally, they had turned five and eight years old, respectively. “I didn’t have a phone then, so I had no way of talking to my family. My employers did not let me use their phones,” said the woman.
She was promised a salary of Rs 8,000 a month, which meant Rs 96,000 a year. But all she got paid at the end of the year was Rs 10,000, which meant she was paid only Rs 833 a month. She worked over 12 hours a day without a single day’s break.
She recalled:
When I neared completion of the second year, I began asking my employers for my dues. Eventually, they gave me Rs 25,000 because I fought for it,The 44-year-old woman
'They Used Casteist Slurs, Never Let Me Call Home'
In 2012, she ran away from the house with Rs 25,000 in her hand. She left for Jharkhand and never went back to the city.
The memories of the hellish treatment she underwent are still fresh in her mind, over a decade later. She recalled, “The employers would abuse me, call me names such as ‘jungli’ and ‘dehati.’ They would beat me up sometimes too.”
Once back to her village, she vowed to turn things around for herself. “I learnt stitching, began teaching it in schools, and started working with an NGO that assists women farmers, and also helps survivors of trafficking,” she said, with pride in her voice.
At the ‘Garima Kendra,’ a board perched atop a wall had a list of do's and dont's for survivors of trafficking. “I can’t bear the thought of anyone going through what I did... But things back home, in the village, weren’t easy either when I returned,” she said.
When she came back in 2012, she stared at an impossible task – of taking care of her family of four. She soon gave birth to her youngest son.
She recalled;
My husband used to drink all day and hardly did any work. I had to earn money so I could feed my two children. Due to my husband’s antics, no one was willing to give me a job even though I was better educated than most others.The 44-year-old woman
The woman has completed her schooling as well as two years of college.
And so, she went to her parents’ house in Orissa with her children, and learnt how to stitch. “When I returned to Simdega, I started teaching stitching to children in high school,” she said.
“When I returned to Simdega, I started teaching stitching to children in high school,” she said.
(Deeksha Malhotra/The Quint)
'Taught Girls Stitching, Now They Have Means to Earn Money in Village'
One day, some of her students – all girls – told her that ever since they picked up this skill of stitching, they have found a way to earn some money in the village itself.
“They told me that they no longer felt the need to go to the city… I thought to myself, what a wonderful idea,” said the woman.
For years, she taught girls stitching in a bid to ensure they don’t end up in exploitative jobs in cities for money. In fact, four years ago, she joined an NGO which provides loans to women to start new endeavors.
“People do not know how to use their land in the best possible way. We help them cultivate paddy, tamarind, and mahua (a tree that has multiple uses in tribal areas). They also grow vegetables such as tomatoes and cauliflower,” she explained.
'I Feel Empowered, Confident Now'
She begins her day at 8 am and starts farming at 9 am. In the evening, she stitches blouses and salwars, apart from working for the NGO. Twice a week, she also assists at the Anganwadis. She earns Rs 3,500 a month from the NGO and makes anywhere between Rs 3,000-Rs 5,000 from stitching.
“I used to be under-confident but now that I earn and sustain my household, I feel empowered. I counsel young girls and women now but I also want to begin rescue work on ground… No one told me these things but now that I am here, I can spread the word,” she said.
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