Hope for Justice

Ritah* was just 13 when she was approached by a woman from a neighbouring village and offered work as a maid, 130 miles away, in Kampala. Ritah left her village and family behind in the hope of supporting herself…

On reaching Kampala, she was forced to work long hours and subjected to abuse and mistreatment. After several weeks, Ritah decided to escape and go to the police. It was the police who brought Ritah to Retrak’s centre. Ritah explained her situation to Retrak’s social workers and decided that home was the best place for her, however hard it may be to find a living in the village. Ritah described the most significant change in her life thanks to Retrak:

“I was lied to and agreed to leave home to go and work as a maid. What I went through in the form of beatings and suffering changed me but the social workers helped me to recover. I will not leave home again because when you leave home you suffer. The social worker talked to me and advised me that when I come back home, I should go to school. I started knowing that being home with your own parents is good. Retrak helped me to come back home and it was a good job as I am now studying.”