Help Gitanjali free women from forced sex work, and their children from brothels. Donate now

“I was 14 when I was kidnapped from a railway station near my village and sold into sex trade. I was kept in a dimly lit, dingy room hardly big enough for a bed, I was raped and beaten day and night. Men far older than my grandfather exploited me to the point I went numb,” says Baby, whose real name and identity were stripped away the day she landed at GB Road--one of the country’s largest red light areas. 

Baby thought that there was no world outside GB Road for her. But all this changed when a Kat Katha volunteer approached her with a ray of hope. Kat Katha helps sex workers to walk out of forced prostitution and embrace alternative professions and work towards a new life. Baby took up the offer. Today, she is leading a fulfilling life away from dark, dingy lanes of GB Road.

Kat-Katha can save many more women like Baby forced into prostitution, with your support. Donate now

The NGO runs Dream Village, a safe haven for women who were forced into prostitution and their children. “We have identified 20 women trapped in GB Road brothels. We are in urgent need of funds so that we can rescue them and provide these women a safe shelter and a bright future,” says Gitanjali Babbar, founder, Kat Katha. 

Transforming generations to come

Kat-Katha provides rescued women alternative livelihoods so they can live a life away from prostitution and also save the future of their children. “Girl children born to women of GB Road are expected to follow in their mother’s footsteps. If we can rescue even one woman from a brothel, we can change the life of her children and stop the abuse from spilling over to the next generation”, asserts Gitanjali.

Gitanjali says that her life’s dream is to see every single woman forced into sex work walking out of brothels and living the life they always dreamed about. What holds many women back in the brothels is their fear that society may not accept them and their children and that they may not earn enough to live and they may be forced to beg to feed themselves and their children.

According to Gitanjali, the only way to stop the endless exploitation of women is by empowering them with skills and confidence so they can live the life of their dreams. 

Dream Village, now a promising reality 

In stark contrast to the suffocating darkness of brothels that most sex workers have been forced to accept, Dream Village provides rescued victims well-lit, well-ventilated rooms, a lush green garden and an environment that holds hope of a bright future. Here, residents are provided training in various trades such as tailoring, cooking, etc. 

The ‘didis’ as they are called bond together and go through collective healing from their traumatic past. They also participate in sharing circles and are provided psychotherapy as healing tools. Children of women at Dream Village go to school and can now dream of achieving their goals in life rather, leaving their past behind.

With your support, Gitanjali can help many more women to escape from the shackles of forced prostitution. “Rescuing one woman from forced prostitution means we are transforming hte life of her children, too,” says Gitanjali.