Fifteen years ago, still a teenager, she was pushed into prostitution by her uncle. She spent her next decade-and-a-half longing for her family's love. And when she finally got a chance to meet them, it was another heartbreak.
Popular content creator Anish Bhagat, known for documenting heartfelt journeys, posted a video of the woman, a sex trafficking survivor, returning to her hometown, only to be met with rejection by her family.
He posted a reel with the caption, "I'm still out of words. This was the most painful thing for me to witness!"
"Fifteen years apart, yet judgment still wins," he said, adding, "She returned home, hoping for acceptance, but was pushed away by a family more afraid of society than her truth."
"Even though she was trafficked against her will, her pain was ignored, hidden behind the fear of what others might say. Some stories don't end with a warm embrace, but they deserve to be told."
The video starts with the woman expressing her wish to meet her family. She said, "I haven't met my family for years. I want to meet them once again. As I'm leaving this profession now, they might forgive me."
A week later, Mr Bhagat decided to take her home. In the video, he is heard saying, "The day has finally come. It started with her friends visiting us. All her friends got gifts for her family." Calling it peak female friendship, he said, "It felt like they were all celebrating her."
As they drove away, she said that her father died a long time ago and that her mother, a simple housewife, managed the entire house on her own. She mentioned that her mother always had a deep love for sarees, so before going home, she bought one for her. She also bought a watch for her older brother, adding, "I don't know what he's up to now."
As they reached her hometown, she seemed a little nervous. "I was waiting for her, filled with excitement," he said. But to his shock, he watched as she came out of the house crying. She said, "This is what happens to us. This happens to so many of us when we try to go back."
Despite this, she wrote a letter to her family and left all the gifts outside their home. She decided to stay and try again. Turning to him, she said, "You keep filming", and handed him a tripod.
The video concludes with. "She kept trying for the coming days but wasn't accepted due to fear of society's judgement."
The video went viral on social media, with people sympathising with the woman and demanding her uncle be sent behind bars.
One user wrote, "Her uncle needs to be arrested immediately. This isn't her fault."
"This is the issue. Our system and society can't punish her uncle, instead, they're humiliating her," read another comment.
She has paid off her debts, left her past behind, and is ready to raise her son and start her tuition classes, the post mentioned. The duo also took a trip to the mela, reconnecting with her childhood memories.
