Fighting exploitation under the guise of the banned Devadasi system

UNDER the guise of the ancient and banned Devadasi system, families sell their young daughters into prostitution and lose them forever to exploitation, abuse and a life of misery and torture. To rescue these innocent girls from exploitation, Children of India Foundation is an NGO that was founded in 2002 that has been working to change mindsets of families, rescue girls who have been dedicated, rehabilitate them through education and empower the girls in the community through the Kishori Clubs initiative that enables girls to take charge of their lives and protect one another.

Based on research

When Thangaperumal heard about the prevalent Devadasi practice in North Karnataka, he decided to ask the academicians about how widespread the practice was, based on research and statistics. Thangaperumal, the founder of Children of India Foundation, approached Karnataka Women’s University and suggested they conduct a study together. Based on this research, a shocking figure emerged. It was found that 80,000 Devadasi women were living in the districts in North Karnataka. But what came next shocked the NGO even more. 20% of those 80,000 Devadasis were children. 

Going underground

Children of India Foundation decided to start designing interventions to work with the local communities in the effort to rescue the girls. But first, it was decided to go on an undercover visit to the areas where the girls were forced to serve as prostitutes. The NGO shares the disturbing details of beds lined up one after the other separated by a flimsy curtain where girls are forced into prostitution and exploited by multiple men day after day. “Even during menstruation,” Thangaperumal shares, “the girls are not spared from sexual abuse.” When he came across one of the girls named Gayatri* she looked at him and repeated over and over “I just want to get out of this hell.” Gayatri was rescued and taken to the NGO where she was counseled and set on a path to rebuild her life.

Education is the tool

The NGO explains that most of the women who are stuck in the system of forced prostitution also bring their daughters into the practice once they become old because that is the only way to earn an income for their family. But the NGO aims to solve the problem at its root by ensuring that the girls receive an education. In addition to enrolling the girls in school, the NGO also gives them vocational skills training and job assistance so they can earn an income in a safe job and care for their families.

Breaking the generational cycle

It takes a conscious effort to keep the girls in school once they have been enrolled. Sometimes, if the rest of the students in the school find out that the girl or her mother were a part of the banned Devadasi system, that student has to endure taunts from her peers. “You’re a daughter of a devadasi!” is a taunt many girls hear but the NGO works with the girls through counseling and other methods to make sure that they don’t drop out of school. It is only through education that the girls can break the generational cycle of forced prostitution and give their children a safe and empowered life. To support Children of India Foundation, you can donate here.

Autos to bicycles

In a particular village, the sole school is at the primary school level. Beyond that, the nearest school is in the next village and that school goes up to the 8th grade. Beyond 8th grade, the girls need to travel to the nearest town – and that’s where the journey to school by shared auto becomes dangerous. Shared autos transport a high number of girls who are unsupervised and vulnerable. When the girls’ families heard about instances happening to their girls, they refused to send them to school and kept them at home in the village instead. But once in the village, they were not in safe conditions but were sold into prostitution. Children of India Foundation introduced the initiative to provide bicycles to allow the girls to get to school safely without having to travel by shared auto or drop out of school.

Kishori Clubs

The Kishori Clubs initiative empowers the girls in the communities by teaching them to identify the signs of Devadasi dedication and gives them the tools to prevent dedications from happening. The girls are in close contact with the NGO and have helpline numbers of the local police and child protection agencies. In one case, the Kishori Clubs girls heard about a sixteen year old girl who was to get married to her 45-year old uncle. But the signs surrounding the “wedding” were suspicious to the girls so they alerted the appropriate authorities and stopped the Devadasi dedication from taking place. By sharing responsibility with the girls, the NGO empowers the girls and helps them become survivors.

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The ancient and banned Devadasi practice has been exploited to the point where crimes are now being committed in its name. The sexual exploitation of children by adults is a crime that occurs in many areas in India and Children of India Foundation is at the forefront of the charge to stop innocent and vulnerable girls from being exploited. To support Children of India Foundation, you can donate here.

Shirley Bobby

Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.