National Human Trafficking Awareness Day: 5 NGOs to know about

What is human trafficking?

Human trafficking is a crime that encompasses a wide range of illegal offences. From child labour to bonded labour to forced prostitution, human trafficking crushes the lives of its victims and leaves a devastating impact on their families and communities. In India, trafficking offences saw an increase during the COVID-19 pandemic when criminals took advantage of the fact that minors spent more and more time online. Engaging in phishing schemes, these criminals use coercion and even abduction to enslave their victims and exploit them in sexual servitude.

Of course, most traffickers use so-called “conventional” methods to harm girls and women that do not include online tools such as social media. In some cases, we have heard from NGOs that have narrated stories of innocent young girls who would be going about their daily task of delivering packages at people’s homes - only to be hit on the head with a heavy object and then wake up days later in another state, having been sold into a brothel. There are too many of these incidents that happen on a frequent basis that require direct intervention.

Who are the victims of trafficking?

Traffickers can target anyone. Male or female, young or old, rich or poor - as long as there are “opportunities” for traffickers to exploit a person, those opportunities will be taken. In most reported cases of people who have gone missing and later been trafficked, it is evident that traffickers target those who are in extreme poverty, fleeing abuse, displaced from a natural disaster, or who lack access to food, medicine or a home - but have no one to help them in life. Traffickers exploit these vulnerabilities in people and use them to mistreat and enslave their victims.

One of our NGOs explained that bus stands and railway stations in certain areas of Mumbai are prime locations where traffickers “scout” and search for victims. In many cases, there are girls who have been mistreated and abused at home by strangers or male relatives. Filled with fear and not knowing what to do, these girls run as far away as they can from the area of abuse i.e. their home. These girls end up stranded at bus stands and railway stations where they are searching for someone to help them and keep them safe. But unfortunately, traffickers are waiting for them.

What are NGOs doing to prevent and reduce trafficking?

NGOs that focus on anti-trafficking are specialized in researching and exploring the issue of human trafficking at its root and from the source. These NGOs are dedicated to 4 important aspects of anti-trafficking which is prevention, rescue, rehabilitation and awareness all of which serve to reduce instances of human trafficking and stop it from ever occurring again. These organizations work in high-risk areas such as in and around red light districts or in source areas for trafficking, especially cross border trafficking, such as the Sundarbans region.

Here are 5 NGOs working to tackle human trafficking in India

These 5 NGOs each specialize in a different aspect of anti-trafficking work and have had a great impact in bringing the issue of the trafficking in persons to the forefront, which is the first step toward tackling this crime. Whether conducting programs in schools or conducting daring raids in red light districts, these NGOs are making great strides to make the world safer for girls and women.

• Missing Link Trust: Missing Link Trust is a Kolkata-based NGO that focuses on fighting trafficking in the high-risk Sundarbans area. Missing Link Trust prioritizes prevention as the most effective way to defeat trafficking and runs the Missing Awareness and Safety School program (MASSp) which uses activities, videos, comics, arts and a video game to teach girls in schools about trafficking, how to spot the signs of trafficking and keep themselves and their peers safe. The program started in 2020 and since then, Missing Link Trust has educated 1.75 lakh children in 620 schools in West Bengal on keeping safe. Leena Kejriwal is an artist who grew up across the street from the Sonagachi red light district in Kolkata. As an artist and the founder of Missing Link Trust, she believes in the power of using art and innovation in the social sector.
• Urja Trust: Urja Trust is a Mumbai-based NGO that saves girls from the clutches of traffickers and gives them a safe space to live, get an education, learn valuable skills and recover from the trauma of sexual abuse and exploitation. This NGO positions itself strategically at bus stands and railway stations to reach stranded girls before traffickers can snatch them and they are lost forever. In the safe space that Urja Trust provides, the rescued girls receive trauma counselling and are on the path to recovery. The organization’s founder is Deepali Vandana who was born and raised in the Kamathipura red light district in Mumbai. Her childhood in this area made her empathetic to the suffering of girls and women trapped in the horrors of forced prostitution in red light districts.
• Mahima India: Mahima India is another Kolkata-based NGO that has been working in the anti-trafficking space for more than a decade. The organization focuses on children who have been trafficked and offers these children a safe and secure shelter, trauma counselling, nutritious meals, education and opportunities to build better futures. Founded in 2012, Mahima India offers multiple rehabilitative services to children who are in need of care and assistance to overcome this horrific crime. In the red light districts, children are tortured beyond comprehension and helping them build strong futures requires time and dedication, which Mahima India is experienced in providing for these innocent child victims. Headed by Rajasree Del Roy, Mahima India stands by the children’s side throughout the entire process of rehabilitation.
• Guria: Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan or Guria is an anti-trafficking NGO that is based in Varanasi and has been fighting the trafficking of girls and women since the 1990s. For decades, the organization has been rescuing girls who have been trafficked against their will to red light districts where they are mentally, physically and sexually abused and exploited. To make matters worse, many of these girls and women have children in their captive state and these children are also at risk. Guria’s founder Manju Singh has conducted daring raids into brothels, prosecuted traffickers and cared for the rescued girls and women as if they were her own family members. Her bravery has helped the NGO rescue more than 5,500 girls and women from a life of misery and torture in red light districts across India.
• Society for Participatory Integrated Development: Society for Participatory Integrated Development or SPID addresses a disturbing truth about sex trafficking which is that its victims are often children. SPID has rescued children who have bore the marks of sexual abuse on their bodies and minds which cannot even understand what is happening to them. SPID has worked in and around the GB Road area in Delhi which is famous for its red light district, a place where no child should be found. Founded and headed by a social worker named S.A. Lalitha, Society for Participatory Integrated Development has rescued and nurtured children for more than 30 years who are in need of a warm and loving home, regular meals, medical care and counselling to help them overcome the trauma of sexual abuse.

To fight human trafficking in India and eradicate this crime, the groundbreaking work of NGOs is a positive step toward saving girls and women from one of the worst crimes to exist. Give Discover champions the work of these NGOs and invites you to join their noble effort this National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.