25 Year Old Rescuer Of Sex Trafficking Victims
"People think that we are bad, that this is our fault. And some of these girls, the victims, are angry because they feel there was no one watching out for them. And I can understand their hurt and anger because I have been through all that myself. So I am patient with them. But I want to believe that some day our voices will be heard and people will take notice of our plight."

When Maili (not her real name) was 21, her infant daughter became very ill. Her husband was away at work, and a friend offered to take her to a doctor. On the way, he drugged her and sold her to a brothel in Mumbai, India. They took her daughter and told her that her child would be killed if she did not work as a prostitute. She spent more than two years, in wretched conditions, servicing up to 20 men a day while her daughter was held hostage.

Each year, thousands of Nepali girls, most under the age of 16, are abducted or coerced into forced prostitution. They are tortured, beaten, and live in fear of their lives if they try to escape. Brothel owners often bribe the police to look the other way.

Maili and her daughter were rescued by the Nepali organization Maiti Nepal. Most rescued girls are shunned by their families and villages, but Maili's husband and family have stood by her. Instead of trying to forget the nightmare, Maili decided to fight back. She, along with her husband, went to work with Maiti Nepal to rescue other young victims. Despite constant harassment and threats from pimps and madams, Maili walks the red light district in Mumbai locating brothels with young Nepali girls. She works to gain their trust and to help them escape. So far, more than 100 girls have been rescued. Maili also works with Maiti Nepal to counsel rescued girls and to help them rebuild their lives.