Help enable & empower woman and children in Bangalore

Karnataka currently is one of the worst affected states by the social evil of human trafficking, as per the information gathered by the Anti-Human Trafficking Units of the state. It is also the state with the third highest number of human-trafficking victims in South India. In 2016 itself, about 1,012 people had fallen victim to it in Karnataka.

As per the information presented by the Anti-Human Trafficking units of the States to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), around 4,980 victims of human trafficking were saved from prostitution, 71 casualties from asking, and two were saved from being misled into organ exchange in 2016. Individuals are trafficked for sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude and forced labour in a range of industries, including factory work, agriculture, construction, commercial fishing and street begging. The violence, abusive living conditions and restrictions on movement commonly associated with trafficking pose severe risks to trafficked people’s physical and mental well-being.

The incidences of human trafficking are increasing, with the economically backward communities of Bangalore, such as Hallegudahalli (HGH) and Krishnarajpuram (KR Puram) being at high risk, owing to the lack of education, awareness, and lack of employment. Parents of children in these communities are mostly daily wage workers, and they do not understand the importance of education. Hence, child labour is on the rise in these areas. Our projects ensure that alongside educating the children, caregivers and parents should also be made aware of the importance of education. We work to prevent violence, exploitation and the enslavement of women and children so that the potential of both victims and their communities can be unleashed.

In our effort to fight against this social evil, we identified two urban slum communities in Hallegudahalli (HGH) and Krishnarajpuram (KR Puram) in Bangalore. We aim to create human trafficking awareness among women and children in these two communities by focusing on improving their education and enhancing employability skills.

We have an After-School Program (ASP) where we have dedicated mentors to focus on all children in terms of homework and the two main subjects of English and Mathematics. This program will reduce the rate of school dropouts who pose as risks to trafficking at a later stage by being lured into earning ‘easy money’. With regards to children completing their academic year, we also focus on the 10th-grade students to ensure that they are enrolled in institutions to complete their further educations.

We also focus on young adults in the age group of 18-25 years, by providing an employment readiness training – Computer, life skills, and spoken English which will enhance their employability skills, and provide placement support to children who have dropped out from school and are seeking employment. The students are regularly exposed to other activities and programmes that widen their perception of life. For instance, they are part of Community Awareness Programmes such as rallies, street plays, and other relevant activities outside the class environment.

For the women in the country who are not able to go to work due to patriarchal suppressions, we provide vocational training in tailoring as a part of their livelihood development. Read about how Sahil became a change agent: http://www.oasisindia.org/skill-development/.

There has been regular intervention with the community to empower them by creating awareness about human trafficking. A little more than 50% of the students are expected to find placements post completion of the employability skills program.

In the last FY 18-19:

Ninety-nine children were linked to learning opportunities and completed their academic year.

Over 1000 beneficiaries were made aware of anti-human trafficking, potential risks and other forms of violence and abuse.

154 women were trained in basic and advanced tailoring, and 30% sought employment opportunities.

Roshni Begum, a migrant from Bihar who has greatly benefited from the program, speaks: “Moving from Bihar to Bangalore, I struggled with Kannada at school. It was difficult for me to cope with a new place and a new language, so I joined the after-school program (ASP) at Oasis India. After months of tutoring, I am slowly learning to read in Kannada. In our ASP classes, other than studying, we also took part in awareness sessions on various social issues like human trafficking, child rights etc. These sessions empowered me greatly, and I wanted to do the same for my community.”

Together we can transform lives and achieve one step closer to building brighter futures for these young children as well as women – but without you, it wouldn’t be possible. We require your generous support to achieve our goal of creating awareness for sustainable efforts. Thank you for your help.