Change Lives of Children of Devadasis in Bagalkot (North Karnataka) through Life and Livelihood Skills

The Devadasi system is a practice deeply rooted in Indian tradition, where women   from  a certain lower caste community are dedicated to perform sexual favours to men as part of their role in society. Girls are dedicated as Devadasis at a young adolescent age and face immense sexual and socio-economic exploitation. A survey conducted by the Karnataka State Women's University in 2017 revealed that there are 80,000 Devadasis in the Karnataka state. Children of Devadasis are also prone for child marriage and other forms of exploitation. In most of the cases they are deserted soon and fall prey for sexual abuses of the Devadasi tradition.  

Devadasi women and their families have been badly affected due to Covid-19. The immediate relief support provided by the Government in terms of free ration and cash transfers support is inadequate to recover & rebuild their livelihoods. Given the current status, it will be difficult for these women to survive with no or low income from sex work and this situation may force them to engage their children also into sex work for living. 

Our initiative aims at empowering 100 Children of Devadasis in Bagalkot district in Karnataka by imparting them with life & livelihood skills. 

We intend to provide or facilitate them with market driven skills through vocational and livelihood training in different skills or trades including tailoring, office assistants, beauty parlours, etc resulting in meaningful employment or self-employment.

In addition, we plan to provide these children with comprehensive literacy and  life skills training to help them lead a dignified and decent life.

Essentially therefore, our solution is an integrated livelihood and life skills training program which primarily endeavours to empower children of Devadasis and, by extension, their equally disadvantaged Devadasi mother and her family.

• Preventing new dedications of children
• Preventing children of Devadasis from entering into prostituion
• Preventing children from all forms of exploitation 
• Improved quality of life of children of Devadasis