Givesters On Ground: Guria – fighting sex trafficking

MY day started sharp at 10:00 am. I reached Guria’s office, had a quick introduction with the team and was given an overview of Guria as a whole. Guria is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting child prostitution, second-generation prostitution, the trafficking of women and the forced labor or sexual abuse of children. Guria’s work is primarily in Northern India and centered in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Guria was started in the year 1993 by Ajeet Singh and his journey began when he adopted three children of a woman from a red light area at the age of 17. 

The organization he founded aims to have a world without these vices by freeing women and their children from brothels by ending their dependency on the criminal nexus involving drugs, sexual exploitation, mafias, police, politicians and above all, the impunity enjoyed by all those criminally involved. Guria’s approach is focused on rescue and legal intervention. The strategy involves supporting aging victims of sex trafficking and forced prostitution as well as adolescents so that they themselves do not become victims.

Time with the founder of Guria

After learning this, I had some time to spend with Ajeet ji, the founder of Guria. We had a vast and lengthy discussion on every aspect of the organization and its work from the start of Guria until now. This included how the nonprofit is growing and saving every girl in need. A few beneficiaries were already present at the office so I had a great chance plus sufficient time to interact with them and with their family members. The 6 girls were teenagers and now, with the effort of Guria, they are joining schools and colleges and have dreams that they want to achieve. Once they started feeling comfortable, we spoke about a lot of things from food to cartoons and more. It was a personal and meaningful part of the day. 

Later in the evening, I visited the Guria center which is located at the main red light area of Varanasi where the children of the beneficiaries are also there. At the center, they have access to education, extracurricular classes, games, vocational training and other resources and services to nurture their talent. The children are also given nutritious meals at the center which keeps them in good health. The Guria center has proper protection with the main gate locked, team members present at the center and the caretaker Uma* always present at the center. 

I had the chance to interact with the children who are in the age group of 3 years to 20+ years and the center has the space and resources to take care of 250-300 children. It was so intriguing for me to see the children filled with such amazing optimism and talent. A play that they were working on, which I had the privilege to see, was an amazing experience. 

Meeting Guria’s project and legal team

After I had the opportunity to interact with the beneficiaries, I sat down with the project team members and interacted with others connected to Guria. Each team member does their part to serve people, whenever there is a need. The project coordinators explained the process on how they find out about a person in need, their immediate course of action and their rescue plan. I learned that, at times, it becomes difficult to rescue a child or a girl due to a lack of resources, time or police intervention, but Guria has always been determined to complete what they start. I was interested to learn that the organization has also encountered individuals who attempt to stop them from working towards the cause of freeing women and children from sex trafficking. 

After rescuing beneficiaries, the Guria team makes sure that the beneficiaries are safe, away from trauma and doing better in life. We spoke deeply about the challenges the team faces and the threats received, even with the presence of lawyers. There are instances where the Guria team has been attacked and threatened, but they still persist because of the firm belief in their mission. 

The legal team explained their priorities of keeping beneficiaries safe and helping them understand the law alongside the importance of preparing them to make their official statement. Ensuring that the beneficiaries feel safe is important for the Guria team; therefore the team offers therapy sessions and music classes. 

Advocacy and sustainable change 

Guria’s strong focus is also on advocating for improvements in Government policies and strengthening law enforcement related to trafficking and prostitution. The Guria team works tirelessly to fight for justice against any form of sexual exploitation of women and children, especially forced prostitution and sex trafficking. The organization strongly believes that it is not charity that is wanting, but justice to make a humane world where all beings coexist in harmony.

Support Guria

Founded more than 3 decades ago, Guria is a brave and daring organization that aims to free women and children from sexual exploitation and stop second-generation forced prostitution. Guria needs your support to rescue more women and children from a miserable existence. To support Guria:

Support Guria

 

*name changed for privacy

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