Premila^[1] lived in a small village in rural Bihar, India. Her parents lived in extreme poverty. Desperate to escape their plight, they signed Premila over to a nightmare on her eighteenth birthday. For the paltry sum of £10 (800 rupees), she was sold to a man living in faraway Punjab state. He claimed there were no ‘good women’ in his village and therefore he was forced to buy a wife. ‘Wife’ is a loose term. ‘Sexual slave’ would be more accurate.

For one or two years, Premila was used as a modern-day concubine. There was no marriage ceremony. There was no hope of marital love in her future. Her body was used and abused at the will of this man, her ‘husband’, and of any of his male relatives who came to call. It was a living hell. But her days were about to get worse.

A new investment opportunity presented itself and Premila was turned out of her new ‘family’ in Punjab and sold to a well known prostitution ring in the nation’s capital, New Delhi.

This time, Premila brought a much better price: £60 (5,000 rupees). She joined thousands of other women who exist in impoverished, disease-ridden, dangerous conditions. She was forced to sell or give her body under threat of abuse or death. What else could she do?

Bride trafficking is a growing trend in India, mainly due to the gender imbalance. This is particularly prevalent in areas such as Haryana and the Punjab. The North East states, such as Bihar, are primary sources for both bride and sex trafficking. The majority of victims are Dalits and Tribals, who fall outside the hierarchy of India’s rigid caste system.

Dalit Freedom Network is working to bring an end to these modern forms of slavery.

^[1] This is a true story, but the names have been changed. The story as recounted by Joseph D’souza, International President of Dalit Freedom Network, appeared in ‘Slavery Now and Then’ by Danny Smith.