Rita, a story of ambition and success

Today we are going to tell you a slightly different story, because the reality of trafficking occurs all over the world and in any context, but thanks to the support of Mumbai Smiles, Rita’s story became a success story.

Rita is from Bangladesh, and lives in the Satkhira region. She was a housewife and her husband was a truck driver. However, they lived in poverty, as her husband could not find work every day and was the only breadwinner for the family. Worried about the future of her two daughters, Rita was always on the lookout for any opportunity that might arise to earn money.

Victim of human trafficking for the domestic work

Considering this situation, Rita’s neighbour offered her a job in Kuwait as a domestic worker, which was a great opportunity for her. Her neighbour worked as a middleman to transport people from one country to another and asked her for 180,000 taka (equivalent to about €1,500) to get that job and move to Kuwait. She asked for many loans from friends and family and finally got the money and moved to Kuwait. Before travelling, she did not receive any kind of training or preparation to help her survive in the new destination country.

Once she arrived there, the situation changed. The owner of the house took away all her documentation, passport and mobile phone and made her sleep in the kitchen of the house. In addition, she also had to work in the house of some relatives of the owner without any days off. Rita never received a salary, she was not allowed to speak at home and she was even beaten many times.

Fed up with this situation, Rita took a risk and ran away to seek help of police. There she was able to contact her family and was able to return to Bangladesh through the embassy.

From the depression to success

Once back home, the situation was not easy for her. All the family members and acquaintances who had lent her money were angry with her: they avoided her and pressured her to pay back the loan. This situation plunged Rita into a deep depression, and it was difficult for her to return to normal life.

One day she joined the community mobilization meeting organized by Agrogoti Sangstha, one of the organizations we work with. At that meeting she learned about the Sapath project to support people who have faced trafficking and from there she received financial assistance and occupational advice. She trained as a seamstress and managed to open her own business.

Rita started doing sewing at home and also started a food business. Today she earns more than 10,000 takas (80€) each month, which helps her contribute to the family income. She also received the Joyta award, which recognises disadvantaged women who have managed to work for themselves.

A future with opportunities

Now Rita has begun to dream of a new future: she wants to open a clothing store, as well as expand her small supermarket by buying new products.

What makes her most proud is being able to be a pillar for her family and that her daughters can continue their education. She is undoubtedly an example for them and for all of us.

We recently told you about the reality of trafficking for domestic work and this case is a clear example of how it works and everything that the victims have to go through. Not everyone has the courage (or opportunity) like Rita to escape and report it, so it is important to be aware that this exists and to report it if we believe that someone may be a victim of this type of exploitation.