BIHAR, INDIA
Sadhika lives with her mother in one of Bihar’s red-light areas. Bihar is one of the poorest states in India. Due to half the population living in extreme poverty, human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation are rampant.
When Sadhika was six years old, her father remarried, leaving her mother to raise her and her six siblings alone. Due to their overwhelming financial insecurity, Sadhika’s mother felt that turning to sex work was her only option to feed her children. Years later, because of the lack of education and visible job opportunities in their community, Sadhika and her younger siblings followed the same path to make ends meet.
Sadhika’s brothers formed families of their own and didn’t provide any financial support to their mother or sisters. This compelled Sadhika to step up and support her mother and sisters, but she wanted to find a way to provide without being trapped in sex work.
After Sadhika joined our program in September 2021, her life started to take a turn. Sadhika completed workforce training and our field staff supported her in opening her own grocery store. Today, her business is doing well, and she is grateful that she can provide for herself and her loved ones in a path she chose. She aims to grow her business and serve as a role model to younger women in her community.
