Preventing Prostitution post Covid

When this project began in 2020, hundreds of girls and boys from red-light areas had lost years of schooling and security. Four years later, we are proud to share that all 800 children identified in the project have been successfully reintegratedinto formal education. Some have moved on to vocational training, and others are now in college or have graduated. These young people were once at risk of exploitation, now planning futures built on choice and confidence.

Among them is Pooja (name changed), a ten-year-old from Kolkata. Her mother, a survivor of trafficking, joined one of Apne Aap’s women’s self-help groups. These groups, now functioning as small community businesses sponsored by Apne Aap, cook and distribute fresh meals to children who come to our coaching centre after school. Each afternoon, Pooja arrives with her notebooks, eats a plate of rice, dal, and vegetables prepared by the women, and hums her favorite song—“Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga. I saw a girl and I felt...” “It reminds me of my mother,” she says, “and how strong she is.”

During the last three months (July–September 2025), Apne Aap has:

• Supported 120 children in Najafgarh, Forbesganj and Kolkata’s red-light areas with daily meals, coaching classes, and mentoring.

• Continued school follow-ups for the students reintegrated over the past four years, ensuring consistent attendance and transitions to higher education or skills training.

• Sponsored six women-led cooking enterprises employing 42 survivors who now earn steady incomes through meal preparation for local children.

• Distributed 1,850 food and hygiene kits to families facing high food prices and debt.

• Conducted 15 well-being and self-defence sessions—art, dance, and kung fu—to help children recover from trauma and build confidence.

Each of these efforts sustains the core promise of the project: that survivors and their children can live with dignity, safety, and opportunity.

With your continued support, Apne Aap will keep nurturing these circles of resilience—where women’s work sustains children’s dreams, and every girl learns that freedom is her right.

Links:

• http://www.apneaap.org