Tears rolled down while the gloomy days she had spent in a red light area as a teenage girl flashed before her eyes. She was living with her parents in Jammu Kashmir of India when she was taken to Mumbai and sold to a brothel. She was just 14 years old then. After she straightaway refused to follow the instruction of the brothel owner, she was tortured. Even then she resisted, following which she was sent away to another brothel nearby where she spent the next six months.[break]
Massive police raids carried out by the Maharashtra State Government of India in 1996 resulted in rescue of 500 girls below the age of 18 and Sunita was one of the 148 Nepali girls to be freed from the red light area. However, as Nepal Government was reluctant to welcome the girls back to the country, they were forced to spend around seven months in some rescue home in India. Like many of the girls, Sunita could never meet her family until a few years ago.
The award has put Sunita in the limelight and made her one of the most sought-after figures during programs related to children and women. “But there is a long way to go since this sensitive issue still needs a lot of awareness and support, “ Sunita says.
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