Earlier this year, two young Musahar Dalit girls, Yoshini* (12) and Maahika* (11), were sold by their families into child bonded slavery at a brick kiln in north India and gratefully were rescued by our Ashray team this past June. 
 
Our Ashray team had been closely monitoring brick kiln factories in the area and were alerted by our youth volunteers about minors being held captive as bonded slaves. The team, with the assistance of local governing body members and the police, successfully rescued the girls from the brick kiln. 

After their rescue, the girls were brought under the protection of our Ashray team and the police. When asked how they were trapped in this, in soft trembling voices they revealed that their parents were struggling with debt of ₹30,000. Because of this, the girls had been taken out of school and sold to brick kilns to repay the loan amount. Tragically, girls from vulnerable communities, such as Musahar Dalits, are particularly at risk of such exploitation. 
Our team, with the support of the local police, filed a complaint against the brick kiln owner and contacted the parents of Yoshini and Maahika. The girls were handed back to their families, with a stern warning of legal action should they attempt to sell their daughters again. 

After rescuing the two girls, we continued to visit them regularly, offering counselling and ensuring their safety. The girls expressed a strong desire to continue their education and be readmitted to school. 

Since Yoshini and Maahika had no documentation to prove their identity, our team then worked extremely hard to prepare their government papers, including birth certificates and national identification cards. Then, with great excitement in the month of August, we helped to admit them to a nearby local government school, so that they can enjoy equal rights to education.   

We remain in regular contact with both girls to prevent any risk of re-trafficking.