Sonu saw the BMW parked in front of the only grocery store in the village. He had never seen such a beautiful car, especially in his small village. Who could possibly own this thing of beauty? He stood and stared.
A tall, handsome man walked out of the store. He approached Sonu.
“Do you like my car?” The man asked.
“Oh, yes!” Sonu gushed.
“You can have a car like this if you do what I did. I grew up in a village just like this, and
now look at me.”
The man posed, letting Sonu see his fine clothes. He looked thoughtful and continued, “Say, I run a factory in Mumbai. I could use a smart fellow like you. What do you say? Do you want to make big money? You can send money home to your parents, buy fancy clothes, and have all the girls giggling at you.”
Sonu didn’t have to think long. This man offered him a way out of a life of struggle and boredom.
“My name is Yashil,” the man said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a business card. “Give me a call if you want to have a life of success and fun.”
Sonu talked it over with his mother, who agreed it was a good opportunity. Sonu placed a call and, two days later, was overjoyed to speed out of the village with Yashil toward the big city he had heard of but never seen.
But there was no factory.
The trafficker sold Sonu to work in a veterinary college canteen, where he was forced to wash dishes and clean tables from early morning until late at night. As months passed by, Sonu’s health deteriorated. Even during his illness, he was forced to work. One day, with the help of local police, Sonu was rescued, and the canteen owner was arrested.
The police contacted the Set Free Movement India team, who escorted Sonu back to his village to be reunited with his overjoyed mother.
This is a fictionalized story of reality in India. The good news is that since 2019, the Set Free Movement team in India has repatriated 585 children across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The team has assisted with more than 900 cases of missing children referred to them by the local child welfare committees.
Learn more about the Set Free Movement’s work in India and other locations at setfreemovement.com.
