Age: 19 years
Falak is from Karnataka. She was sold into the red-light area as a child by her mother to a brothel owner. Falak was brought up by the brothel mother who used to do black magic in their house and many people used to come to her for their problems. Falak used to run away from home, but every time her brothel mother or brother would bring her back home. She would often ride on the train all day long and had many friends that were street children.
When Falak was 15, she met a girl in Panvel who asked her to come to her house. Falak started staying with her for about three months, and she took care of Falak. Then one day, the girl brought three men to buy Falak. She was beaten up badly by the men and they raped her, but she somehow managed to run away from them at midnight.
Falak started living with street children and rag pickers and lived under a bridge in Mumbai. She became an alcoholic, started smoking and taking drugs. During this time, Falak fell in love with a man and became pregnant.
He was involved in trafficking and sold her to two men in a brothel in Mumbai. Somehow, Falak escaped again, but this time she was caught by the police and put in a children’s observation home. After she turned 18, she was referred to YouCanFreeUs along with her two-year-old daughter.
Falak went through counseling for the trauma she suffered and felt safe at YouCanFreeUs. Through the support of YouCanFreeUs, she started to realize her dreams. Falak participated in life skills training, basic education, spoken English and computer classes, and vocational activities like tailoring and making jewelry at the YouCanFreeUs Training Center.
Falak came to YouCanFreeUs very shy and timid. But her journey at YouCanFreeUs made her a confident person, and she believes she can do so much more with her life. Falak is very efficient in any work that is assigned to her. She wants her daughter to grow in a safe environment and get a good education. Recently, she fell in love with a man and got married and settled in Orissa. She continues to stay in touch with our staff and keeps us updated. Falak’s dream is to become a fashion designer and one day open her own boutique.
