Reporter: IT'S BEEN
SAID THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
PEOPLE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE
KNOWN DEFEAT, KNOWN
SUFFERING, KNOWN STRUGGLE,
AND HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY OUT
OF THE DEPTHS.
RUPA RAJU IS ONE OF THEM.
I HAVE HAD A DIFFICULT
LIFE SINCE MY CHILDHOOD, AND
EXPERIENCED MORE HORRIBLE
THINGS THAN MOST PEOPLE MY
AGE.
Reporter: AT A YOUNG
AGE, RUPA WAS FORCED BY HER
PARENTS TO JOIN THE RANKS OF
INDIA'S SO-CALLED RAG
PICKERS.
THESE ARE MEN, WOMEN, AND
YOUNG CHILDREN WHO RUMMAGE
THROUGH FATALITY GARBAGE
HEAPS IN THE CITY OF INDIA,
LOOKING FOR ANYTHING THAT
CAN BE RECYCLED AND SOLD,
PLASTICS, BOTTLES, METAL
PARTS, ROTTEN, DISCARDED
FOOD.
MY DAY STARTED AT 4:00 OR
5:00 IN THE MORNING AND I
PICKED TRASH FOR 10 TO 12
HOURS.
Reporter: ON A GOOD
DAY, SHE WOULD EARN ABOUT
$2.
AND THAT WAS A GOOD DAY.
HERE ON THE STREETS, WHERE
DOGS WERE HER ONLY COMPANION
AND MILLIONS OF SWIMMERING
MAMAGGOTS, FLIES, RATS, AND
CROWS ARE CONSTANT
DISTRACTION.
SHE WOULD COMPETE WITH OTHER
RARAT PICKERS FOR A FEW
SCRAPS.
WHEN I GOT OLDER, MY
MOTHER TOLD ME I WASN'T
BRINGING IN ENOUGH TRASH, SO
I WAS FORCED TO SLEEP WITH
MEN.
SHE DESCRIBES THE RAGE
SHE FELT TOWARDS HER
PARENTS.
I FELT LIKE RUNNING
AWAY.
I WAS ANGRY.
I WANTED TO KILL THEM.
I WANTED SOMETHING TERRIBLE
TO HAPPEN TO THEM.
Reporter: RUPA IS A
DELUT, OR SO-CALLED
UNTOUCHABLE.
INDIAN SOCIETY LABELS DELUTS
LESS THAN HUMAN.
AND LIKE RUPA, MANY OF THOSE
YOUNG GIRLS END UP AS
PROSTITUTES OR END UP IN
TRAFFICKING.
BUT THAT'S IN THE TRASH.
AND TODAY IS ALL SMILES.
I CANNOT EVEN EXPLAIN TO
YOU WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN MY
LIFE.
Reporter: SHE HAS GOD
AND GINA TO THANK FOR THIS
TRANSFORMATION.
WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO
THIS NIGHT BECAUSE WE SEE
OUR WOMEN BEING
EMANCIPATED.
>
Reporter: SHE RUNS A
CHRISTIAN MINISTRY THAT
TAKES IN, REHABILITATES, AND
EMPOWERS SCORES OF YOUNG
WOMEN AT RISK.
ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO, RUPA
CAME TO THE CENTER LOOKING
FOR HELP.
HERE SHE GOT COUNSELLING,
LEARNED HOW TO SPEAK ANK
SPEAK ENGLISH, AND TOOK
CLASSES, AND EVENTUALLY HAD
HER DIGNITY RESTORED.
AND SHE ALSO MET DOZENS OF
OTHER WOMEN LIKE HERSELF WHO
HAD SIMILAR LIFE
EXPERIENCES.
POOH.
WHAT I LIKE TO
COMMUNICATE TO THEM IS I
WOULD NEVER, EVER GIVE UP ON
ANY OF THOSE WOMEN, NO
MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY
FALL, BECAUSE I KNOW IT IS A
STRUGGLE FOR THEM.
Reporter: IT IS JUST A
HANDFUL OF CHRISTIAN
MINISTRIES OPERATING HERE IN
INDIA, TRYING DESPERATELY TO
RESCUE HUNDREDS OF WOMEN
FROM HUMAN TRAFFICLY AND
SEXUAL BONDAGE.
FOR MANY OF THESE WOMEN,
SUCH MINISTRIES ARE A
LIFELINE TO A BETTER
FUTURE.
RUPA SAYS IT WAS AT THE
CENTER SHE DISCOVERED WITH
GREAT DELIGHT HER WORTH IN
GOD'S EYES.
I COME FROM A HINDU
BACKGROUND.
I KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT
JESUS CHRIST.
WHEN I CAME HERE, I STARTED
READING THE BIBLE, AND I
STARTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
FREEDOM REALLY MEANS AND
WHAT I MEAN TO GOD.
Reporter: IT IS THE
BIBLE'S VIEW OF THEM THAT
BRINGS LASTING
TRANSFORMATION.
THEY CAN'T BELIEVE IT
BECAUSE ALL OF THESE YEARS
THEY'VE BEEN TOLD THEY ARE
LOWER THAN ANIMALS, AND HERE
WE ARE TELLING THEM THEY ARE
CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF
GOD.
AND THAT JUST HITS HIM.
THAT JUST BLOWS THEM AWAY.
Reporter: ON A RECENT
FRIDAY EVENING, RUPA JOINED
105 WOMEN ON STAGE FOR A
GRADUATION CEREMONY
HONOURING THEIR COMPLETION
OF AN 18th MONTH COURSE.
AND SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE
WAS RUPA'S MOTHER AND
FATHER.
THE CENTER HAS DONE A
GREAT JOB.
MY DAUGHTER IS A DIFFERENT
PERSON.
I FEEL BAD FOR THE THINGS
WE DID TO HER.
BUT NOW I WANT HER TO STUDY
WELL AND HAVE A GOOD
FUTURE.
Reporter: AND PERHAPS
IT IS THIS IMAGE OF RUPA
HOLDING HER FATHER'S HAND
THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES OF ONE
LIFE TRANSFORMED BY THE
POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
SHE TOLD CBN NEWS LATER SHE
HAS FORGIVEN HER PARENTS FOR
FORCING HER INTO
PROSTITUTION.
EVERY NIGHT BEFORE I GO
TO BED, I THANK GOD FOR THE
CENTER.
I THANK GOD FOR RESCUING
FROM MY PAST.
Reporter: THESE DAYS,
SHE WORKS AS A CONFIDENT
SALES ASSISTANT IN A LARGE
DEPARTMENT STORE LOCATED ON
THE MOST FAMOUS STREET IN
THE CITY.
THE SAME STREET WHERE SHE
ONCE PICKED TRASH.
HER REAL DESIRE, THOUGH, IS
TO MINISTER TO BROKEN AND
ABUSED WOMEN.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO
TOOK CARE OF ME AND SHOWED
LOVE TO ME.
I WANT TO DO THE SAME FOR
OTHERS.
THAT WILL MAKE ME HAPPY.
Reporter: GEORGE
THOMAS, CBN NEWS, BANGALORE,
INDIA.
