Masuma Ahuja

Masuma Ahuja is a reporter covering gender, human rights, and women's and girls' lives. She's an IWMF grantee and previously worked at the Washington Post and CNN. 

Durga Chauhan

She was forced into sex work. Now that she’s left that behind, she dreams of being a doctor.

Durga Chauhan, 19, was once forced into prostitution after her marriage ended. Chauhan belongs to the Bacchara caste, a community in Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India, where women are the primary breadwinners in their families and often work as prostitutes. Today, she's in school and is helping other women opt out of sex work.

She was forced into sex work. Now that she’s left that behind, she dreams of being a doctor.