In Conversation With: Samir Baptist of Vihaan

GIVE.DO is in conversation with Samir Baptist from the anti-trafficking organization Vihaan which fights against the trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls through rescue, rehabilitation and aftercare. The organization is based in Maharashtra and has a presence in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai and Patna. In this interview with Samir Baptist, we explore the issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation, the NGO’s intervention, the impact that the organization’s work has had on survivors, their families and communities and how people can get involved in the fight against the trafficking and exploitation of children. 

 

Here are 5 questions with Samir Baptist of Vihaan:

 

1) How prevalent is child sexual exploitation in India?

Samir Baptist of Vihaan: Sex trafficking is a global, underground economy where most of the detected victims are females, mainly adult women, but also increasingly – girls. Sex trafficking is identified as the third-largest illegal trade in the Indian subcontinent and has been a growing threat to both the freedom and security of girls and their parents and families. With the growing demand for virgins in the sex trade, the age of children compelled into prostitution has been lowered over the years. Fake documents are often used to camouflage their age. It is estimated that over two million women and children are trafficked for sex in the red-light districts in India. 

 

A majority of the young girls are sourced from remote areas of India and other neighbouring countries and transported to active destination points across the country. With the growing footprint of digitalisation, cybersex trafficking has gathered prominence. The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports that the highest amount of Child Sexually Abusive Material (CSAM) in the world is produced by India. According to the India Child Protection Fund (ICPF), there has been a 200% increase in the demand for “violent” pornographic content related to children in India since 2020.

 

2) What impact does sexual abuse have on the minds, emotions, bodies and futures of children?

Samir Baptist of Vihaan: Due to intolerable abuse and torture, the survivors of child sex trafficking often suffer from trauma and health issues. They are ostracised and socially stigmatised, emotionally broken and physically scarred for life. They often end up being infected with diseases like tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS, anaemia, fungal infections and other sexually transmitted diseases. Many become alcoholic and addicted to drugs. The stigma of being in the sex trade follows them for a long time and they often end up living life in isolation or dissatisfied relationships, even if they are rescued and vocationally rehabilitated.

 

The child goes through a feeling of guilt, shame and inferiority complex. It becomes very difficult for them to come out of that situation even more so as they refrain from sharing their experience with others. This makes them be aloof and at times, suicidal. A child who is sexually abused and not properly counseled may also become an abuser themselves and harm other children.

 

3) What services does Vihaan provide to exploited children and their families?

Samir Baptist of Vihaan: Vihaan has carefully calibrated its unique end to end approach under the below mentioned six-point strategic priority areas. These areas not only form the foundation of our work but also represent our unwavering commitment to combating this heinous crime and supporting survivors:

 

– The first strategic priority area is to prevent human trafficking and re-trafficking by promoting education among children and adolescents and creating a safe environment for them.

– Empower the survivors and those vulnerable in shelter homes and high-risk communities with skill development and livelihood generation

– Rescue and removes children and enslaved women from situations of exploitation by providing assistance to the police during rescue operations

– Provide care and support to facilitate the critical physical, emotional, psychological and social well-being of survivors  

– Protect the rights of survivors to justice through the legal intervention support we offer to survivors and their families

– Build networks and partnerships for a collective response, train frontline workers at the grassroots level to create a safety net and capacitate and activate vigilant bodies

 

Each of these strategic priority areas is interconnected and forms a cohesive and comprehensive approach towards fighting human trafficking and supporting survivors towards reintegration.

 

4) What impact has Vihaan had since it was founded?

Samir Baptist of Vihaan: This has been the impact that Vihaan has had in the lives of survivors and their families: 

– 5,097 victims of trafficking have been rescued in collaboration with law enforcement 

– 1,330 accused arrested, 470 prosecution cases handled and 180 convictions secured by working closely with the law enforcement agencies and the judiciary

– 3,524 survivors of human trafficking and other forms of abuse and exploitation were supported with education/skill training, physical and mental health care, restoration/repatriation to their families, access to justice and victim compensation and linkage to job opportunities making them economically, socially and emotionally independent and reintegrated into society

– 163 international trafficked survivors from Bangladesh, Nepal, Turkmenistan and Nigeria were supported to return to their home country

– 278 survivors ensured access to victim compensation 

– 63,725 frontline professionals including law enforcement personnel and members of judiciary have been trained on varied topics to address human trafficking

– 290 vulnerable adolescents have received academic support and regularised in school 

– 1,166 young trainees have received skill training and 285 are employed and connected to livelihood opportunities

– Created a unique Case Management and Internal Data Analysis system to record all aspects of casework to achieve evidence based analysis.

– Built strategic multidisciplinary partnerships with stakeholders operating at different levels to achieve the above results.

 

5) Is there a book or documentary film you recommend for people to learn more about this issue?

Samir Baptist of Vihaan: Our social media platforms and our monthly newsletter – The Connect – can be referred to for people to learn more about this issue.

 

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