Red Light Despatch Volume VII, Issue 8 AUGUST 2014
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Apne Aap Women Worldwide—Organizing Communities to End Sex Trafficking Red Light Despatch Volume VII, Issue 8 AUGUST 2014 Delhi, Kolkata, and Forbesganj (Bihar) My Dreams “It is like a dream come true moment‖ ― To end prostitution‖ —Fatima Shilpa, 16 years Bihar: This is how I felt in the hot my inner courage which helped me at Delhi: My name is Shilpa. I am seat of KBC in front of the superstar every step, and, helped escape a lot of 16-year-old. I am from a Perna Amitabh Bachchan. For a moment my girls captured in the trap of prostitu- community and I live in life came to a standstill, and, I couldn‟t tion. In return, I was inflicted with Dharampura. I have been asso- believe that it was happening in reali- severe corporal punishment, and, con- ciated with Apne Aap since ty! And, being a girl from “Nat com- fined within the four walls without 2011. I joined as a Kishori munity”; a girl who is born to be sold, food or water for numerous days. Mandal member and later en- was sitting in front of thousands of However, these incidents only firmed rolled in Apne Aap‟s cutting spectators and to whose support none my further resolve to fight tooth and and tailoring class for six other than the renowned bollywood nail against eradicating trafficking months and in the meantime actress Rani Mukherji was there. completely on the face of the earth. also learnt Bhangda dance. The greatest moment of the event was This apart, if for four days of torturous I was married off early in Prem when both the superstars gave me a ordeal, I could help save the lives of Nagar to start a family and bear standing ovation and heaved praises four girls, I was even ready to undergo a child. It was difficult for me for my efforts in the battle against hu- many such ordeals. to take responsibilities at the man trafficking. The audience too early age and I felt suffocating joined in to cheer me. For me, it was (Continued on page 6) in that place. Hence, I requested really a moment of wonder. my husband to shift to my ma- I got obsessed with my earlier strug- ternal home in Dharampura. So gles when, at a tender age of nine, I that I can join Apne Aap Centre was sold off to a man living in the red and enrol in the cutting and tai- light area of Forbesganj, Bihar, in the loring classes to fulfil my name of marriage. At that time it was dream, as economically and socially independent person. The World Outside Later, I joined the income gen- eration program, so to strength- ―Meeting Amitabh ji in Mumbai‖ en my financial condition. Also, Mohd Kalam, 33 years I am against the inter- generational prostitution in our community (Perna). Bihar: One evening I had received a called up Mr. Bhaskar to inquire about The day I received my first sti- call from Tinku di intimidating about it. He confided in me that Fatima‟s pend from Apne Aap, I was Mr Bhaskar from Big Synergy Media survival and leadership story was se- overwhelmed and it made me Pvt. Ltd. She informed me that he is lected for the Kaun Banega Crorepati more determine to fight against interested in documenting Apne Aap‟s (KBC) 2014. I was thrilled, but he re- exploitation against girls and struggle against anti-sex trafficking for quested me not to reveal it to anyone women. My means never ends a television programme, “Zindagi Zin- as the selection was yet to confirm. here and I have to walk a long dabad”. I gave our consent to her. In July 14, Mr Bhaskar visited our Bi- way ahead. After a week, we spoke to Mr Bhaskar har office and approached us to docu- Eventually, I hope each and over the Skype. He told us about the ment Fatima‟s story and Apne Aap every girl from my community impending video shoot and a possible works, in context of how it help and Delhi visit. To our discomfort, howev- empower the girls and women in gen- should come out of this hell, er, after a month, we received a call eral. The shooting was done after we where no women and girls will from him again, saying the show was got the approval from Tinku di, Ruchi- be branded as a „prostitute‟, postponed. But, one day, out of no- ra di. which really hampers the digni- where, Fatima, our activist leader, said Continued on page 7 ty of women in society. that Mr. Bhaskar is willing to take our story for other programme. At that time, Fatima did not had much information about the programme, so I 2 Red Light Despatch ♦ Vol VII, Issue 8 Op/Ed : World Day against Trafficking in Persons - Ruchira Gupta’s interview in The Diplomat Anuradha Sharma is an independent journalist based in Also, while the law has changed, there are no budget Kolkata. She writes on politics and culture in South allocations to provide legal, health, housing or capacity- Asia. She was a journalist fellow at Reuters Institute for building services to victims and survivors of prostitu- Study of Journalism, Univeristy of Oxford, 2013. tion. And on prevention, there is absolutely no policy at all. A holistic approach that links different departments, The first World Day against Trafficking in Per- sons was observed on July 30. The World Day was pro- such as women and child, social welfare, education, po- claimed by the United Nations General Assembly to end lice, is needed. Schemes need to be linked. The govern- modern-day slavery, which has in its grasp an estimated ment must also identify those who are most likely to be 2.5 million people, most of them women and chil- dren. The Diplomat speaks with Ruchira Gupta, the Indi- trafficked and map them. I hear that the new government an abolitionist, women‟s rights activist, and award- is apparently is setting targets for its ministries; I would winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. love some of the targets to be around trafficking and Gupta has provided policy support to the Government of prostitution. India on countering trafficking. She has worked with worked with UNICEF and UNIFEM in Thailand, Nepal, Your organization, Apne Aap Worldwide, has been Iran, US, Kosovo, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, working in the field of intergenerational prostitution, Philippines and South Africa. She teaches a course on especially among the de-notified tribes. What are modern-day slavery in Zanzibar, Tanzania and is adjunct associate professor at the Centre of Global Affairs, New your observations? York University, where she teaches graduate courses on human trafficking and movement building. She is the De-notified tribes were categorized as criminal tribes in founding president of Apne Aap Worldwide, an organi- British India. We have just finished a study for the Indi- zation working in countering human trafficking and an Council for Social Science Research on the status of helping women in prostitution. education among the de-notified tribes in six states of She tells The Diplomat about trafficking and rape in In- India. During the course of the study, we found that dia and the story of her own journey. there is a very high prevalence of inter-generational prostitution among them. India is one of the major contributors to global hu- man trafficking. It is a signatory to the UN Protocol It is extremely difficult to map these communities and on trafficking in persons. From your experience of find out the extent of inter-generational prostitution in being closely connected its policymaking, do you them because there is no data available. The government think India is doing enough to end trafficking? could not give us any data as to how many such tribes exist, what their numbers are and where they live and Not enough, but it is doing something. On April 3 last what‟s happening among the girls. We had to literally go year, it passed Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code, in and dig out information ourselves through word of criminalizing the entire process of trafficking for sexual mouth from one tribe to another. If its own citizens are exploitation. What it did not do is criminalize the pro- invisible to the government of India, how are they going cess of trafficking for labor exploitation. India is the epi- to create policies for them? center of bonded labor in the world. More people are slaves through debt-bondage in India than anywhere in To ask you what every Indian is most asked these the world. Also, there are more prostituted children in days, why are so many rapes happening in India in India than anywhere else. Sometimes labor and sexual recent times? exploitation are interconnected. A person may be traf- Rapes have been going on, but they are now being re- ficked for labor and then may be sexually exploited as ported more because of the success of the women‟s well. It is very important for India to have strict laws movement. We have made it a mainstream issue. against trafficking for labor exploitation. India has to make bigger legal changes. Continued on page 3 Red Light Despatch 3 The only answer is for more women to be in public places and more men in private spaces. More freedom is the answer, not less Op/Ed : World Day against Trafficking in Persons - Ruchira Gupta’s interview in The Diplomat Continued from page 2 arettes, did I have male friends.