Keep children safe from traffickers in India

Dear Global Givers,

Every8Minutes Team celebrated International Women’s Day at Pushkar, Rajasthan with more than 200 women and young girls from the Bedia community. The Bedia community in Rajasthan practices an age-old tradition where girls are introduced to prostitution at a very young age. The girls are forced to take charge of earning a livelihood for their families through sex trade, while men stay at home or become pimps.

Women and girls travelled to Pushkar, a two and half hours drive from Jaipur. The trip was especially planned for them so that they can step out of their homes and celebrate International Women’s Day.  Many of these women who are former sex workers are now being rehabilitated with alternative livelihoods programme, set up with your support. The programme also helps to prevent second-generation prostitution for many children of sex workers. Women and children celebrated the day with inspirational life experiences, joyful music and dance. It was a day to claim their rights and their space!

Some of the women, currently undergoing the alternative livelihoods programme were appreciated with cash awards for showing exemplary courage and resilience against a live of unimaginable abuse and degradation.  Such recognition of small steps towards independence will motivate the other girls to push their boundaries. All of this is possible due to your regular support. It enabled us to support Vatsalya an organization in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Vatsalya works towards breaking the cycle of trafficking by enabling women and young girls in sex work to make a bold choice to step out of a life of violence and abuse and retrain in an alternative livelihoods programme.

*Nisha Khan is 24 years old. She is a single parent and lives with her 10 year old son and widowed mother in Ajmer, Rajastahn. Nisha was married off at 14 years and by 16 she had her son. Her husband left her six months later and she was left penniless to take care of herself and her baby. Since being part of the alternative livelihoods programme, Nisha now earns more than Rs 5000 (£50) a month. Her son attends school regularly and she also takes care of her cancer stricken mother. Nisha is one of the woman who received the cash prize award. Nisha is also working as a peer educator, educating young girls from her community about the dangers of practicing unsafe sex and the high chances of contracting HIV/AIDS.

“I never had the opportunity to go to school. I want my son to do well for himself. I feel frustrated at times because I cannot help him with his homework. But joining the livelihoods programme has given me the confidence to do things I never imagined I could, like taking my mother for her cancer treatment. I take my own decisions and also decide on how I wish to spend the money I earn.”

Dear global givers, we are able to help girls like Nisha to exercise their rights and find alternative dignified solutions to earn their livelihoods. There are still many girls from the Bedia community, as young as 13 years, who are trapped into prostitution  We hope you will continue to support us so that young women and girls like Nisha will experience the joy of childhood and not become child brides.