CONNECTED CHURCH Sahaara, India

NEETU’S STORY Autumn 2016

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Neetu lives in Mumbai, India Neetu lives in Mumbai, India. Her life so far has been a series of abuse, heartbreak and fear, which led her to work in a brothel. A young woman enters the room. She lights it up with her smile. Neetu*, I come to learn, is in her early twenties. She’s cheerful, confident, beautiful. Neetu lives in Mumbai in India. She grew up a long way away, about 24 hours away by train, in a community on the India/Pakistan border. Her life was like many others until her father died when she was only about five. She doesn’t know for sure her age then or indeed now, as extreme poverty can rob you of so much, including much sense of your past. Unsurprisingly, his death led to her mum finding it difficult to cope. She had some kind of breakdown. In a society where so often the family name is more important than the family members, this emotional collapse brought shame - her mum was later killed, by her uncle. The same uncle sold Neetu and her sister to a local politician, putting an end to her dreams ‘I dreamt of going to school’ she told me. Instead she was forced to work as a slave in the home ‘I would get beaten if I stopped working’ she said. The abuse didn’t end there. ‘The man use to physically touch me everywhere.’ It went on for several years, in which time her older sister disappeared. Then one day Neetu was taken on the long journey to Mumbai. It was there that she was sold again, at about the age of 13, to a brothel owner.

“My life became very bad” ‘My life became very bad’ she said. She was kept with many other children, all of them suffering the same daily fate of abuse and rape.

One day, Neetu was able to escape And then, one day, Neetu was able to escape. She left, with no possessions, in her night clothes when no one was looking. She managed to get police help; they took her to a Government home. After three or four months there she was given into the care of a Tearfund partner, expert at helping survivors of human trafficking. When she first arrived she was, like all who have been through similar experiences, in severe trauma. ‘Whenever I shared any of my story, I’d cry,’ she said. There would be no respite at night either, when vivid nightmares would awake her. Neetu though, was supported. When dreams woke her at night, her key workers would pray with her. In the day, she received counselling, was given education and an opportunity to discover her gifts and talents. She was given basic life skills such as cooking, and how to travel. Here, she discovered a love of making jewellery. One day, Neetu was able to escape

‘The only thing that makes it possible is their faith’ The partner has an incredible success rate of rehabilitating those it serves. Some 90 percent never return to the brothels. Jessica, who runs the project, could not be more devoted to the women she and her team help. ‘Each has to learn to forgive, and when it’s their own mothers, fathers, husbands or other family members that have sold them, that takes years.’ She and the team know the only thing that makes it possible is their faith. ‘How can we stop anyone’s nightmares? It’s only through prayer. Those who experience God move on so much more quickly. But for each of them the journey is so long.' Today Neetu is heading towards the end of that journey; her confidence and happiness demonstrate that she has survived. Her love of jewellery-making has led to plans to open a small business. She shows me some of her work, it’s lovely - I’d buy it. Her story is inspirational. But as Jessica reminds me, this isn’t just a story, it’s a life. And for every Neetu there are many more who never get past the living nightmare. Globally, every thirty seconds a child is trafficked.

PRAYER Pray for Sahaara and the work they do, that God would strengthen them, and fill them with peace and wisdom as the work in some of the darkest corners of the earth.

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KINGS CHURCH SAHAARA, INDIA SAHAARA, INDIA SAHAARA, INDIA Neetu lives in Mumbai. Her life so far has been a series of abuse, heartbreak and fear, leading to her working in a brothel. She managed to escape and ever since then Sahaara have been working with her and other victims of trafficking to bring healing and transformation. Please pray for her recovery, and for the recovery of victims of trafficking across the world. Neetu lives in Mumbai. Her life so far has been a series of abuse, heartbreak and fear, leading to her working in a brothel. She managed to escape and ever since then Sahaara have been working with her and other victims of trafficking to bring healing and transformation. Please pray for her recovery, and for the recovery of victims of trafficking across the world. SAHAARA, INDIA SAHAARA, INDIA Neetu lives in Mumbai. Her life so far has been a series of abuse, heartbreak and fear, leading to her working in a brothel. She managed to escape and ever since then Sahaara have been working with her and other victims of trafficking to bring healing and transformation. Please pray for her recovery, and for the recovery of victims of trafficking across the world. Neetu lives in Mumbai. Her life so far has been a series of abuse, heartbreak and fear, leading to her working in a brothel. She managed to escape and ever since then Sahaara have been working with her and other victims of trafficking to bring healing and transformation. Please pray for her recovery, and for the recovery of victims of trafficking across the world.