This project will fully run and staff a new facility that will house 150 girls and women vulnerable to or being rescued from sex trafficking. Our current shelter, recognized as one of the most outstanding shelters for survivors of trafficking, serves 55. That's not nearly enough! We also have a goal of eradicating the illegal system of ritualized trafficking by 2025. Our new shelter helps us expand our reach for prevention into remote areas where young girls are most at risk.
Hundreds of thousands of girls have been forced into ritual sex slavery for centuries. Very young girls are dedicated in marriage-like ceremonies and then known as Joginis. After reaching puberty she becomes the property of the village and can be used by any man, anywhere, anytime. She is trapped in a life of sexual servitude. Families choose this for their daughters because they need life-saving medical treatments, to pay-off a loan shark, or to receive blessings to solve their financial woes.
This project not only provides a shelter for young girls at-risk of becoming joginis, but also provides rehabilitation for those coming out of the system. We provide safety, education, healing, and empowerment to embrace new dreams and a new life.
Our goal is to eradicate the jogini system by 2025 through our network of healthcare workers, schools, and community liaisons all over India. Doing so frees young girls forever from this great injustice and raises their family out of poverty for future generations. Changing a family re-shapes a village. Change enough villages and you change the world.
