Nineteen year old Deepika* joined Reflection (Destiny’s social business arm) as a trainee and within a few years had become a proficient fashion accessory artisan. Her journey hasn't been easy: She's received mental health support and istill suffers physical traumas from when she was abused as a child. Deepika also chose to stay in Destiny’s accommodation service where she received mentorship and life-skills training, along with her job training program at Reflection.

 

Deepika was originally from Madhya Pradesh which is a state in North India. She was trafficked to the neighboring state of Bihar at the age of fourteen. Recounting the difficulties she faced growing up, she says,

 

“My father was an alcoholic and  physically abusive towards my mother, me and my siblings. He would rarely give us any money; so my  mother had to put me in a factory to work as a laborer when I was thirteen years, so to make ends meet. I was  trafficked for the first time from that factory on the pretext of marriage and then trafficked  two more times, till the police rescued me."

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Deepika explored other job options and worked as a trainer at another NGO. She comes back to Destiny sometimes whenever she wants to visit her friends and mentors.

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*Names have been changed.