Anti-Trafficking Team Intercepts Student and Returns Her Home Safe

Meera* sat at her desk at school, absentmindedly tapping her pencil as she gazed out the window.

She was thinking of the neighbor who had given birth suddenly last week; who, with her husband out of town and no time to get to a hospital, had knocked on Meera’s door in desperation, clutching her stomach and asking for help. Meera’s mother had calmly jumped into action, guiding the woman back to her bed and ordering Meera to call a midwife and then get clean towels and water. The baby came quickly, and by the time the midwife arrived, she was already asleep in her mother’s arms. Meera had been mesmerized by the baby’s tiny fingers and toes, and her heart raced with the thrill of witnessing a new life being brought into the world.

She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. She knew that when she finished high school in a few years, she wanted to study nursing and one day help women through the labor and delivery process as a nurse. 

But as Meera continued through high school, she met a boy—on Facebook. This boy, Arjun,* had messaged her initially saying she had a beautiful smile, and now they had been chatting online for six months. She thought of him constantly and soon began to believe herself to be in love.

He lived in another town, a few hours away by bus. When he first suggested she ditch school for a day and take the bus to meet him, she hesitated, unsure of how it might affect her grades and a little scared to make such a journey alone. But the boy was persuasive, and eventually she agreed. She wanted to meet him in person more than anything else. 

She packed her school bag with a change of clothes and some water and snacks for the trip, taking care that her mom would not notice.

In the morning she left for school in her uniform like usual, but once out of sight from home, turned toward the bus station. She found a bathroom, changed into a normal dress, and boarded the bus to Arjun’s city some four hours away, excited to finally meet this boy who had stolen her heart.

But when she arrived, Arjun was not what she had expected him to be. 

—

The bus station was a large transit area with buses arriving from all over the country. Three Love Justice monitors stood watching passengers disembark from a bus that had recently arrived. 

They watched as a young girl with a backpack got off the bus and looked around in confusion. Would anyone come to meet her? They waited to see.

Finally, a young man approached her, but there was no recognition or relief on her face—she still looked confused and tense. 

One of the monitors approached and pulled them into easy conversation, eventually separating the two young people to get their stories individually. In this way, the team found out that the girl thought she was only skipping school for a day, while the boy planned to take her to another city. Because their stories did not match and her parents did not know she had left, as well as several other red flags, the monitors determined that she was highly in danger of being trafficked. 

They called her mom to tell her that they had found her daughter. 

“My daughter went to school this morning … how did she get all the way to another city?” 

The monitors explained some of the prevalence and risks of human trafficking in the area and assured her that they would keep her daughter safe until she could come pick her up. 

Meera got home safely and Arjun went on his own way, since he was an adult and Meera’s mother did not want to file a case against him.

—

Normally, that would be the end of the story, but in this case, the monitors received an unusual call almost a year later. 

It was Meera’s mother, calling to tell them that her daughter had been accepted into nursing school. 

“If you hadn’t been there,” the mother said, “I don’t know where my daughter would be or what would have happened to her. If you had not rescued her, she wouldn’t have gained an education.”

—

Part of the heartache of modern slavery is that people are robbed of their dreams. What positive impact is left untapped when one of these souls is taken captive into slavery? These are not just bodies taking up space, but living daughters and sons, young people who play and learn and grow and dream. They are not only valuable for their inherent human nature, but they have something valuable to offer the world as well.

We love this story because we don’t always get to hear what happens to people after our teams intercept them. This young girl was not only prevented from being trafficked, but she went on from that moment to pursue nursing, where she will impact and protect many more lives. Positive impact has a multiplying effect.

We believe that every life is beautiful and worth fighting for. From now until May 15, we have generous partners matching all gifts up to $250,000 so that your gift to impact and protect the vulnerable can be multiplied! If you are part of our Project Beautiful family, we are also asking if you would consider giving an additional one-time gift during this matching gift opportunity. 

Will you help us protect more people and their freedom to dream? Visit here to have your gift matched today. 

*All data and statistics current at the date and time of publishing. Names changed, and some specific locations excluded for privacy and security purposes.