One of the articles in the Universal Declaration of Rights is that “All human beings are born free and equal with dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

When being born free and equal is a right, why are human trafficking and other forms of social evil still prevalent? It is because, although individuals are born free and equal – they are bound by poverty. In India, 73 million people live in extreme poverty as of 2018.*

Hailing from Jharkhand, North India – Ashik’s* family lived in poverty for generations. He grew up with four siblings under impoverished conditions and had no access to education at his village. His father, a farmer who worked hard to make ends meet, often found it difficult to sustain his family.

So when Ashik’s favourite uncle visited them and offered him a job in Mumbai, Ashik jumped at the prospect. He was more than eager to help his family and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

It was only later when he arrived in Mumbai that he realised his uncle worked as a pimp in one of the biggest red-light areas (RLAs). And now he was thrust into the job too.

Like Ashik there are many young men who come to Mumbai from villages in extreme poverty, desperately seeking for jobs. This desperation is time and again exploited by those running the brothels.

How can we help young men like Ashik live a life of dignity?

At Oasis we help pimps who wish to leave the RLA find other employment opportunities. We network with job placement agencies that train and provide employment. During one of our outreach visits, our staff met Ashik who expressed his desire to quit his job as a pimp. We invited him to our drop-in centre to attend counselling and life skill sessions. In a few months not only did Ashik leave the RLA, he is now helping other young pimps who find themselves trapped with no scope of employment outside. With career guidance from our staff, Ashik went back to his village and opened a small food stall of his own. His thriving business motivated him to start a food stall in the city as well. He says, “I hope to help and protect those like me to live a respectful life.” While his struggle to
achieve a secure life is not over yet, he continues to fight for the rights of those like him.

Name changed
*Source: www.timeofindia.com

Home is our safe space. What if you do not feel safe in your own home? This was the reality for Kanaga* in Bangalore.

Our staff have been following up with children and women in the communities that we have conducted relief work with in the past year. One such family is Kanaga’s. She lived with her father and sister. During the pandemic last year, the children were staying at a hostel but were sent back to stay at home and the father struggled to keep the family afloat. To help him financially, the sisters also went to work at a factory with their father.

At work, Kanaga’s father was approached by a co-worker with a chance to sell their daughter to a couple for 15 Lakhs, promising a good life for himself and his younger daughter. Kanaga and her sister alerted one of our staff about this. Knowing the seriousness of the issue, we have kept in touch with her father for over 6 months, advising and guiding him to protect Kanaga as this can potentially lead to trafficking. In almost all the cases, traffickers are known individuals who promise a better life to the victims.

We began educating the girls and their father on trafficking and to spot the signs of trafficking. During conversations on good touch and bad touch, Kanaga opened up about her father’s friend who sexually abusing them. For a child to endure this much at a young age is heart breaking. We have worked to help the sisters find a hostel where they can be safe and secure, receiving all the health attention required.

Engaging Kanaga in conversations on trafficking, good touch and bad touch has saved her life. She is now slowly beginning to return to enjoy the good things in life!

*name changed