We are now serving in a distinctly Muslim country where we have never served before, but where the dangers of exploitation are very real. We are partnering with a local group to provide a refuge for survivors. This outreach building- like many we've built around the world- will serve at-risk women and children most of whom are in emergent situations. Many of these women were enslaved by ISIS. Project Rescue will provide medical care, mental and emotional counseling and support, legal help, vocational training, and temporary overnight shelter to any women and children in need. Many of these women and children are refugees of war, strife, and violence. We now are in the position to make a difference in their lives through a network of care, support, freedom, and hope.
Meet Basant
When her father would tell her how beautiful she was, Basant would smile. But she didn't know that this beauty would mean her father would fetch a higher price when he sold her. Basant was told she was to go work for a man and woman she had never met before, and that she was to do whatever they asked.
Confused and hurt Basant went away with these strangers not knowing this "work" wasn't for the day, but that it was her life her father had sold.
The first night the woman refused to look at Basant, but the man would not stop. Basant learned what kind of "work" she would be doing that night when the man locked her in a room and stayed all night with her. She woke the next morning beaten and bleeding but was told she would serve many men the same. The man and women sold her to a brothel far from her home city. Here Basant was passed around like an object.
She was bought and sold for years and moved so often that she didn't know where she was anymore only that her life had become a nightmare she could never have imagined.
Basant stood at the door of a "customer" who refused to pay for the services he had received. He screamed at Basant and called her cruel names. It drew the attention of two Project Rescue team members and everyone else in the street. Angry and embarrassed to be exposed in front of so many as a prostitute, Basant ran down the street right into Project Rescue's team. They tried to stall her to speak with her but in her anger, Basant cursed them and pushed past.
The team didn't give up. They walked the street near the brothel every week until Basant came out again to answer another customer's call. She recognized the two workers when they approached her and asked her if she had time to speak. She said nothing but followed them to a quieter place where they gave her food and told Basant about Project Rescue. They invited her to come with them. Still saying nothing Basant quietly began to cry.
She shared that she had just found out she was pregnant and her mistress wanted her to kill the child.
Basant never answered another customer's call. She went with the team and is living in a safe home with our team and other women from similar circumstances. She's been with Project Rescue for over a year and has given birth to a little baby boy. Pray that she continues to grow as she works on recovering from the abandonment and abuse she has faced.
