13-year-old Mazina - Trafficked for 23 Months from Bangladesh

The first photo we received of Mazina when she was 13 years old

In April 2023, we received a lead from our partner NGO that 13-year-old Bangladeshi Mazina had been trafficked to India. For almost two years, she was continually moved, and we could not track her location.

On March 19, 2025, we called a police officer connected to the case and asked him for an update. He said he had received some new intel about Mazina (now 15 years old). The police had tracked her to Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 

On March 20, around 12:15 a.m., we received good news. Along with our intel, the AHTU (anti-human trafficking unit) of Ahmedabad rescued Mazina where she was being held in a brothel keeper’s house. Finally, Mazina is safe. The AHTU requested that we conduct Mazina's post-rescue procedures so the police asked our team to come to Ahmedabad right away.

When the police interviewed Mazina, she opened up about her experiences over the last 23 months.

One day while Mazina was alone at home in Bangladesh, her cousin, Nusrat, visited her and suggested they go somewhere special for her birthday. Mazina agreed. Nusrat took Mazina to her house, where she introduced Mazina to another lady, Haseena. The two women then took Mazina to the railway station. Mazina was confused and asked them how long the trip would be. Haseena said it was a short trip and they would return soon. 

Mazina shared that the train stopped at one station, and the three of them went to Haseena’s house, where she was introduced to Haseena’s husband, Nizam. Haseena told Mazina to go to sleep. When she woke up later, Nizam, Haseena, and Nusrat made her walk through a jungle. It was dark, and Mazina remembers that they kept walking for most of the night. She was uncertain of where she was and where they were going. 

Soon, they crossed the Bangladesh border and were in India. They reached Howrah Railway Station in Kolkata. Once again, they boarded a train. This time, the journey was longer. 

They disembarked at the Ahmedabad railway station, and Mazina was taken to someone’s house. Even though 23 months had passed, Mazina remembers being sold to a lady named Sultana for Rs 40,000 (~$470). Sultana took her to her house and told Mazina that she would be married to a 30-year-old man. She then forced Mazina to do all her housework. While Mazina was working in Sultana’s house, Sultana’s 30-year-old son raped her multiple times. He told Mazina that his mother, Sultana, told him to have sex with her. Mazina remembers being moved about regularly and sold to multiple people after Nusrat took her away from her home.

After Mazina finished sharing her story, the police filed a First Information Report, and Mazina was placed back in the shelter home. The next day, Mazina attended her medical exams. Mazina is currently safe in a shelter home, and our legal team is working to repatriate her to Bangladesh.

Mazina at the hospital during her medical exams