Support Triveni Acharya to rescue girls kidnapped and sold into brothels

‘Help rescue & protect our daughters from human traffickers’. Donate now

When 10-year-old Munni and her sister Puja left their small village in West Bengal for a sightseeing trip to Kolkata, little did they know what a tragic turn their lives would take. Having missed their return train and the next one being several hours later, they agreed to go with two elderly women who offered to let them stay in their home till the morning. Sadly, they reached home only 12 years later after being rescued from a brothel where they had been sold into prostitution.

Human trafficking is India’s 3rd largest illegal trade with 2700+ girls trafficked into the red-light districts in Indian cities every year. These young girls who are barely 8 to 12 years old are locked up for days, starved, beaten, and raped continuously until they learn to service up to 25 clients a day. 

A fearless fighter against trafficking

For sexually exploited girls like them, former journalist Triveni Acharya and her Rescue Foundation is a saviour. Over the years, Acharya has fearlessly led the way in rescuing over 5,000+ victims of child trafficking through her organisation, which she co-founded with her late husband, Balkrishna Acharya.

“When I first saw and heard about the gut-wrenching stories of these girls, I saw my daughter’s image in them. What if these girls were my daughters? Won’t I fight to save them?”asks Acharya. Through investigators that either pose as a customer or a dealer, Rescue Foundation finds out where the girls are kept and by whom and, with the help of cops, raid and rescue them.

The majority of the rescued young girls are from poor backgrounds, either kidnapped from Nepal or from other Indian states and brought to cities and infamous red-light districts to be sold into prostitution. 

Giving a second chance at life

The foundation rehabilitates these rescued girls in four care homes around the country and repatriates the girls to their respective families. For girls whose families refuse to take them in, the foundation shelters and helps them rebuild their lives. 

It provides them with legal aid, formal education, counselling, free health care and nutrition. They are also taught income-generating skills like tailoring, embroidery and vocational training to sustain themselves once they recover and lead independent lives.

A challenge that hinders the mission

Unfortunately, the number of girls trafficked has been increasing over time - with last year hitting its three-year high despite the pandemic. This has pushed the organisation to risk and conduct more rescue operations and save more girls - which requires them to increase the capacity of their homes.

“I’m determined as ever to see to it that these young girls have a chance at a better life. We’ve got to keep fighting, no matter what. But we need funds. We have 235 women and children with us now and we need to open doors to more girls. For each victim, we spend around ₹99,000 every month...we are struggling to run our homes, Lack of financial support is one of the biggest challenges we face as these young girls are now dependent on us,” says Triveni Acharya.

These vulnerable young girls have suffered a life of abuse and trauma at the hands of heartless human traffickers. They don’t deserve that. Your little act of kindness can instil their hope in humanity and give them another chance at life. 

Please donate generously. As Acharya says, what if they were your daughters?