Pihu, (15), and Ramnika, (16), (name changed) met each other for the first time at the Bihu Festival and became very good friends. When the festival celebration ended it was quite till for Ramnika to go back, so she decided to stay at Pihu’s place.

Hailing from the Joypur Banagoan and Dwisaguri villages of Sonitpur District in Assam, the financial condition of their families was very poor. Pihu’s mother was an ASHA worker who left her job and started working in the neighboring tea estate as a daily wage worker with her husband. The money what they used to earn was not sufficient to lift up the daily needs of their four-member family. Similarly, Ramnika’s family was also economically weak to bear the cost of her studies.

Apart from the fact that both were studying in the same class but different schools, the other thing which brought them closer is their frustration from their poverty-stricken lives. Experiencing the throbbing of poverty and unmet needs, they planned to leave the school and go out of Northeast to work somewhere.

Puja’s cousin confirmed the availability of job opportunity in the fish factory where he works. Both were happy and ready to leave the village without letting their parents know. He also gave the contact person contact details named PK (original name not known) who could help them in logistics and travel arrangements.

On 22nd May, both the girls ran away from their respective homes and met the said person in the evening. He took Pihu and Ramnika at his residence and confined them for two days without food.

On the third day, he made both girls sit in the train with his three men (local agents) for Delhi instead of Andhra Pradesh. Girls were totally unaware of that, though they both sense that something is not appropriate but couldn’t do anything as they do not know anyone. They vigorously started looking for help by someone to get out of all this and from the hand of the traffickers.

While communicating with the girls, a co-passengers in the train felt something unpleasant and sensed trafficking, he immediately contacted All Bodo Student Union (ABSU) for help. At around 5 pm, ABSU along with the Govt. College students, GRPF and Kokrajhar Police reached to the place and both girls were rescued from Kokrajhar railway station. All the three suspicious agents were caught by the police and booked under Immoral trafficking prevention Act. Both the girls were taken to the CWC.

NEDAN Foundation, a Caritas India partner organization in combating human trafficking in the state of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, sheltered the teens once the legal formalities have been done by police and CWC. Later, the organization also helped in tracing the survivor’s family and on dated 26th May 2019, after completion of all handing over formalities they both were reintegrated with their families.

Similarly, many such cases prevail but people are unaware. However, the Anti-Human Trafficking programme is making its way towards higher attainment in rescuing and restoring to a safer environment. This we can attain only when the community will take lead to prevent trafficking. and this is the goal of the project.