This Woman’s Fight To Stop Young Girls Trafficked, Beaten And Sold For A Price Started With Her own Silent Screams

They were just girls of 15 or 16 years of age, meeting 25 to 30 men a day 

Another girl’s eyes were swollen from a beating for refusing to “perform” with an older customer. She had been trafficked from a village in Bihar after a relative sold her.

That image haunted Eunice for weeks, reminding her of her grief. She couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t return to her corporate job as if nothing had changed. Because within seconds, her life had changed. 

That day, Eunice walked out of the bro###l and never returned to her old life

“How could I sit in a boardroom while girls were being sold like vegetables, raped 25 times a day? Their life wasn’t a childhood but a price tag.” - Eunice

But Rahab Centre for Hope wasn’t built to “rescue” women. It was built to rebuild them.

Renuka didn’t just escape her predator, but she led over 200 children to freedom

“The owner used to tell us that no one cared. That we could scream and no one would come.” - Renuka, survivor

She escaped after 8 years in a government shelter where every adult who was meant to care for her turned predator.

Her bravery led to a nationwide rescue operation, and the Prime Minister awarded her Geeta Chopra Bravery Award - the highest honour for a girl under 18. 

“When Renuka came to Rahab, she didn’t speak for weeks. Then one night at dinner, she stood up and said, ‘Thank you for not touching me.’ That was her way of saying she finally felt safe.” - Eunice

Another 17-year-old who took beatings to protect her 5-year-old sister, rebuilt her life with Rahab’s training and is working confidently at Delhi Airport today.

A wife and a mother - two women reunited after 15 years was a touching moment

Rama Devi was separated from her son for 15 years after a mental health crisis. She forgot her name and even her child's. 

The Rahab team searched relentlessly and finally traced her son (now 22-year-old)

“I was shaking. I wasn’t even sure she’d remember me,” her son said. But when Rama saw him, she said, “You always walked like this.”

Just like Rama, Neetu was just another “unidentified woman” that no one knew where she came from. The police passed her to shelters. The shelters passed her around. 

Until Rahab took her in. She refused to eat and cried in her sleep. But with art therapy and trauma care, her memory returned. Three months later, she whispered, “Vipul Garden.”

Rahab staff traced that clue for weeks until a shopkeeper looked at Neetu’s photo and said, “Yes. She went missing months ago.” 

“That’s my Neetu…I thought she was gone forever.” Her husband broke down when they reunited.

For over a decade, Rahab has been a sanctuary for more than 150 survivors of trafficking, rape, violence, and abandonment.

“We don’t give them pity. We give them the tools like education, counselling, and skill training, to write a different ending to a story that was never theirs to begin with. We have fewer resources, and every week, I get more calls. I have to turn women away sometimes. What do I tell them, that we ran out of safety?” - Eunice 

About the NGO: Rahab Centre for Hope is a New Delhi-based NGO founded by Eunice Stephen, dedicated to rescuing, sheltering, and rehabilitating survivors of s#x trafficking, abuse, and abandonment. Established in 2010, Rahab provides a haven, medical and psychological care, education, and skill training to help women and girls rebuild their lives with dignity and self-reliance.