This archive report was first published on 16 December 2019.
December 16, 2019, marked a significant day in the fight against human trafficking as BBC Africa Eye released a shocking investigation into a network that traffics women to India as sex workers for African men.
At the heart of this investigation is the story of Grace, a Kenyan woman who bravely went undercover to expose the people involved in the sex trade.
Grace's journey began when she responded to an advertisement for dancers and hostesses in a WhatsApp group. Little did she know that this would be the start of a nightmare that would last for months.
When Grace arrived in New Delhi, she was taken to a brothel where she was forced to realize that her dream had turned into a living hell. Her passport was confiscated, and she was asked to pay off a grossly inflated fee for the facilitation of her travel to India.
The debt, which ranged from $3700 to $5800, was a burden that many women like Grace had to bear. They were forced to have sex with strangers to pay off their debt before they were freed. However, even when they repaid their so-called 'debt', many found themselves trapped, living illegally in India and having no choice but to continue working in the sex industry.
Every night, gatherings were held across New Delhi, where scores of women paraded themselves in front of men, who mingled and chatted while being served drinks and African food in underground bars known as 'kitchens'. These meeting places were illegal clubs where African men could choose the women they liked and take them to their homes, an alley, or a brothel, to have sex.
In this web of corruption and deceit, most trafficked women were still trapped after they had made the payments demanded of them. Their visas had expired, and they ended up as illegal immigrants. Many of the trafficked women either became Madams, forcing women into sex work, or continued to be sex workers themselves.
Grace's story is a testament to the bravery of those who dare to speak out against human trafficking. She takes us to the place she spent six months paying her 'debt', exposing the people who brought her over to India.
Caught up in a vicious cycle of alcohol and sex, Grace is left wondering if there will be an end to her nightmare. Her words are a powerful reminder of the need to put an end to this heinous crime.
'I don't want anybody else to go through what I had to endure. I want this to stop,' she says.
