Sangita, 23, (name changed) began working at the age of twelve to earn a living to survive. Her story is horrific.
Sangita was the only child of her mother and was living happily with her parents until the eldest sister from her stepfather requested to stay. As days passed, the quarrels escalated. There was now no peace in their home. Soon Sangita had to quit study and work as a domestic worker. She was just twelve years old and had to do dishes and wash clothes all day, every day.
Soon her mother sent her to Kathmandu to work and, hopefully, earn more. The work was the same, only the city and people were different. After a few months, the house owner sent Sangita back home saying that she was too young to work for them.
It was then that Sangita found out that her dad had passed away and her mum had gone back to live with her stepfather. Sangita had arrived home but had no place to go. She was alone. Fortunately, one of the elder sisters of her mother allowed her to stay with her for some time. Soon her mum came to know she was staying with her sister and came to take her home. Sangita found she became the reason for constant quarrels with her stepbrothers and stepsisters. They did not like her staying with them. The stepsisters started beating and torturing her. They wanted Sangita out of their home so forcefully married her to a man she did not know.
One day when visiting her mother for the first time, after the forced marriage, Sangita’s step brother raped her and she became pregnant. When she told that she was raped by her brother to her mother and people in the society, nobody believed her. Instead they blamed her and began to humiliate her. Sangitafelt hopelessly helpless and said “the darkness surrounded her”. She went to her husband and shared her stories but like her mother, her husband kicked her out of home. Despair overwhelmed Sangita.
Seeing what shewas going through, some of her friends in the village sent her to Pokhara. Sgewas told that she might get a job in a clothing store. However, I was offered a job as a waitress in a restaurant in Ratnachowk. She worked there for three months and was asked to sell my body to some of the customers. Sangita refused despite their insisting.
The restaurant was sold to another lady and Sangita was asked me to continue to work there with the new owner. Now the owner was female, so Sangita hoped she would understand her problems. Instead she forced her to serve as a prostitute. After one month as the baby inside her was growing bigger, the owner forcefully medicated Sangita, causing her pregnancy to abort. After the abortion the abuse intensified and she was again forced to serve her customer with her body for more than six years. She had to satisfy fifteen to twenty men per day. The owner took all the money and paid none to Sangita.. Sangita was a sex slave.
One day Sangita refused to obey ,not caring i she lived or died. The owner, with the assistance of 2 others, w poured a packet of salt and chilly powder inside Sangita’s vagina. The pain was unbearable! Sangita questioned the point of her existence and wanted to die.
She could not tolerate anymore and managed to escape from the hell she was living in. She went to her stay with her mother for few days but needed to work to my survive. Her family would not allow her to stay with them forever. so she went to Beni to work along with a friend. On the way, in Pokhara, her ‘friend’ took all her belongings and left Sangita alone.
She had nothing left, except the clothes on her back. It was then that she was rescued by 3 Angels Nepal after the Womens and Children’s Welfare Department in Kaski were informed of her situation. Sangita says 3 Angels Nepal saved her life and gave her hope for a better future.