You are an adult citizen
If you are 18 or older, the State cannot treat you as a child in need of rescue merely because of your workplace. Adult liberty, livelihood, and dignity are constitutional interests. Being called a “victim” does not cancel those interests.
Ask why you are being held
You can ask officers to identify themselves and state the legal basis for a raid, search, or detention. Keep a calm record of names, time, and place when it is safe to do so. Do not sign documents you do not understand.
Counsel is a right, not a favour
If you are taken into custody or to a shelter against your will, ask to speak to a lawyer and to a family member. Free legal aid is available through NALSA and State Legal Services Authorities for those who qualify.
Privacy during operations
Media crews on a raid are not a court. You can object to being photographed or named. Broadcasting a worker’s face as proof of a “rescue” is a dignity harm our campaign asks governments to stop.
Shelter is not a sentence
Protective homes exist for people who need and want support — and for trafficking cases that courts must handle. An adult who says she wants to leave work and go home should not be confined for weeks as rehabilitation.
Trafficking is distinct from adult work
Force, fraud, and coercion of any person must be investigated. Consensual adult employment is not the same thing. Conflating the two leaves actual trafficking survivors with less careful process, and workers with no livelihood.
Public bodies you can contact
- National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and your State Legal Services Authority — legal aid.
- National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions — complaints about unlawful detention and dignity violations.
- National Commission for Women and State Commissions for Women — complaints concerning women’s rights.
- Labour departments — workplace licensing, wages, and conditions where those laws apply.