Mary, a 55-year-old Kenyan mother of four living with HIV, has been held indefinitely in an Indian immigration detention centre for nine months without access to antiretroviral drugs, causing her health to decline severely. Her legs are swollen, blood pressure has soared, and she has collapsed from weakness. 'If I don't get my tablets, I may become bedridden. And then no airline will take me home,' she said.
Mary was lured to India in September 2023 by a woman who promised well-paid work. She was asked to carry a bag on a flight to Delhi. Upon landing in Bengaluru, she was intercepted by an anti-narcotics team; the bag contained cocaine. After serving a two-year sentence, she was transferred to a foreigners' detention centre last September instead of being deported.
Conditions in Detention Centres
Mary describes a life of neglect and fear. She alleges that a 36-year-old Ugandan woman with HIV, a trafficking victim, died in the same centre three months ago. 'Sometimes I cry alone. I just pray for a miracle,' she said.
The Guardian interviewed 22 women in three detention centres across India, who allege indefinite detention in poor and abusive conditions. Many are trafficking victims picked up for visa infractions, held with no timeline for release.
Trafficking Survivors and Families
Lily, 27, a Ugandan survivor of sex trafficking, was arrested in a police raid in April 2025 at 3am, along with her sons aged two and four. Police broke the lock and stormed in, claiming her visa was invalid. They were taken to a detention centre near Bengaluru, where she remains over a year later. Her sons live with filth and constant mosquito bites, playing with other African children awaiting deportation. 'Instead of being in schools, they are growing up in a cage,' Lily said.
Lily was trafficked into the sex trade in Karnataka in 2019 after being lured from Kampala with a job promise. After escaping, she tried to live quietly but has no way to contact officials, her passport confiscated, and no legal paperwork.
Legal System Failures
Liyi Marli Noshi, a lawyer working on foreign national cases, says the legal system often fails to recognise victims as victims. 'When African nationals are detained, the first assumption is that they are illegal migrants... The trafficking element is not properly investigated,' she said.
Nirmala Walter, founder of anti-trafficking organisation Manobal, added: 'These children are losing their basic right to education and instead inheriting the consequences of human trafficking.'
Operation Clean Sweep and Indefinite Detention
In 2025, a coordinated police crackdown called Operation Clean Sweep targeted African nationals including children in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad, and other states. According to human rights activists, many held are long-term trafficking victims, refugees, or people with pending legal cases now locked in a system where missing documentation leads to lengthy imprisonment.
Yuvi, a 24-year-old Nigerian, was lured to India in September 2024 with a promise of a hairdressing job but was forced into sex work and told to pay a ransom of 3.5 million naira (about £1,900). After escaping, she worked as a hairdresser but was stopped by police in May 2025 for an expired visa. She was taken to a detention centre in Delhi, where officials say only those with return tickets can leave. She paid 20,000 rupees (£160) to an officer for help with a ticket but remains stranded. The same officer beat her with a stick, she said, showing photographs of injuries. 'I keep thinking of killing myself,' she said.
The Guardian sought comment from the FRRO, home affairs and external affairs ministries, the Ugandan high commission, and Delhi police, but received no response.
