Prajwala
Encyclopedia
Prajwala is an non-governmental organization
in Hyderabad, India
, opposed to forced prostitution
and sex trafficking. It works to prevent a second generation of sex workers by educating brothel children for careers in carpentry, welding, printing and stationery work, wooden and steel furniture manufacturing, and hotels and hospitals housekeeping. It was founded by Dr Sunitha Krishnan
.
In 1996, sex workers living in Mehboob ki Mehandi, a red light area in Hyderabad, were evacuated. As a result, thousands of women, who were caught in the clutches of prostitution, were left homeless.
Having found a like-minded person in Brother Jose Vetticatil, a missionary, Krishnan started a transition school at the vacated brothel to prevent the second generation from being trafficked.
“We began in a small way by responding to the plight of the mothers. Things were not easy during the initial days. Although the women were concerned about their children, they were not ready for any kind of partnership. I made a calculated move to have a win-win situation. ‘You give me information about the destitute women trapped in prostitution, and I will provide education to your child’ was how I convinced the them, and it worked well,” she says.
Today, Prajwala runs over 17 transition centres in Andhra Pradesh for the sex workers’ children. Over 5,000 children have benefited from the second generation prevention programme.
The organisation, so far, has rescued more than 2,500 victims with the help of the information provided by its partners and through police intervention. The organisation has 80 members in India and 25 abroad.
“Unlike many other organisations, Prajwala is not a project. It is a need-based organisation. I will close down Prajwala the day society stops treating women and children as objects of exploitation,” proclaims Krishnan.
“So far, we have provided rehabilitation to nearly 1,500 girls, but couldn't succeed in doing so in 1,000 other cases. I don't think I failed but probably I didn't get the desired results. For instance, we rescued a 20-year-girl from a Pune red light area and offered a Rs 6,000-per month salary package to her to work for us. She rejected the offer and went back. After 10 days, she called me and said she realised her mistake and was willing to work for the cause. Today, she is one of our main informers. Now, can this be called a failure,” Krishnan says.
, a filmmaker known for his internationally acclaimed movie In the Name of Buddha
. He has made more than a dozen short films for Prajwala. One of these films Anamika
(Nameless) is now a part of the curricula of the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy and the National Police Academy.
has committed her life as a fulltime volunteer in Prajwala. A mental health professional, she has done extensive research and is essentially a field practitioner. She has been instrumental in rescuing hundreds of children from severely abusive conditions and restoring childhood to them. Sunitha Krishnan is making it possible for India's government and citizen organizations to manage jointly a range of protective and rehabilitative services for children who have been trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. As of 2007, Prajwala operated 17 schools in Hyderabad as part of Krishnan's strategy to remove women from brothels by first giving their children opportunities outside the red-light districts. In addition to her local work, she has tried to increase pressure on foreign governments who, she says, fail to adequately enforce laws against sex-trafficking and sexual predation. For example, she says that although Americans comprise 25% of sex tourists in Asia, the US government does too little to prosecute them.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
in Hyderabad, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, opposed to forced prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and sex trafficking. It works to prevent a second generation of sex workers by educating brothel children for careers in carpentry, welding, printing and stationery work, wooden and steel furniture manufacturing, and hotels and hospitals housekeeping. It was founded by Dr Sunitha Krishnan
Sunitha Krishnan
Sunitha Krishnan, born in 1972, is an Indian social activist and chief functionary and co-founder of Prajwala, an institution that assists trafficked women and girls in finding shelter. The organization also helps pay for the education of five thousand children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hyderabad...
.
Mission
The philosophy of Prajwala evolved based on the need of women and children who are victims of trafficking. Prajwala emerged as an anti-trafficking organization, which believes in preventing women and children from entering prostitution, which is the worst form of sexual slavery. The organization is actively involved in second-generation prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, restoration and social reintegration of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. These objectives are achieved through a multi-pronged approach, as trafficking is a multidimensional problem. During the process of implementation of programs to combat causes of trafficking Prajwala evolved need-based interventions and methodologies which are the milestones for the organization and breakthrough in the sector of anti-trafficking.“Even as a young girl of 16, I wanted to work for the cause of children and women. I was arrested for protesting against the 1995 Miss World contest held in Bangalore, and had to serve a two-month sentence. After being released, I decided to move out of Bangalore and settle down in Hyderabad,” 35-year-old Krishnan, co-founder and chief functionary of Prajwala, says.
In 1996, sex workers living in Mehboob ki Mehandi, a red light area in Hyderabad, were evacuated. As a result, thousands of women, who were caught in the clutches of prostitution, were left homeless.
Having found a like-minded person in Brother Jose Vetticatil, a missionary, Krishnan started a transition school at the vacated brothel to prevent the second generation from being trafficked.
“We began in a small way by responding to the plight of the mothers. Things were not easy during the initial days. Although the women were concerned about their children, they were not ready for any kind of partnership. I made a calculated move to have a win-win situation. ‘You give me information about the destitute women trapped in prostitution, and I will provide education to your child’ was how I convinced the them, and it worked well,” she says.
Today, Prajwala runs over 17 transition centres in Andhra Pradesh for the sex workers’ children. Over 5,000 children have benefited from the second generation prevention programme.
The organisation, so far, has rescued more than 2,500 victims with the help of the information provided by its partners and through police intervention. The organisation has 80 members in India and 25 abroad.
“Unlike many other organisations, Prajwala is not a project. It is a need-based organisation. I will close down Prajwala the day society stops treating women and children as objects of exploitation,” proclaims Krishnan.
Rehabilitation
To empower the rescued Prajwala trains them for careers in carpentry, welding, printing and stationery material, wooden and steel furniture manufacturing, and hotels and hospitals housekeeping in.“So far, we have provided rehabilitation to nearly 1,500 girls, but couldn't succeed in doing so in 1,000 other cases. I don't think I failed but probably I didn't get the desired results. For instance, we rescued a 20-year-girl from a Pune red light area and offered a Rs 6,000-per month salary package to her to work for us. She rejected the offer and went back. After 10 days, she called me and said she realised her mistake and was willing to work for the cause. Today, she is one of our main informers. Now, can this be called a failure,” Krishnan says.
Media suport
Krishnan is supported by Rajesh TouchriverRajesh Touchriver
-Biography:Rajesh was born in Kerala to a Malayali family. He inherited a flair for Kathakali, the classical dance of Kerala, from Siva Sankaran Nair, his father who was a veteran Kathakali artist. He also had some early training in Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala...
, a filmmaker known for his internationally acclaimed movie In the Name of Buddha
In the Name of Buddha
In the Name of Buddha is a 2002 British film drama written and directed by Rajesh Touchriver. The film tells the true story of Tamil doctor Siva, who fled to Britain in 1993, flushing his false passport down the toilet during his flight. Siva is a friend of the film's producer Sai George...
. He has made more than a dozen short films for Prajwala. One of these films Anamika
Anamika
Anamika is a Bollywood film starring Dino Morea, Minissha Lamba and Koena Mitra in the lead roles. It is written and directed by Anant Mahadevan and produced by Bhanwar Lal Sharma...
(Nameless) is now a part of the curricula of the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy and the National Police Academy.
Founder
Sunitha KrishnanSunitha Krishnan
Sunitha Krishnan, born in 1972, is an Indian social activist and chief functionary and co-founder of Prajwala, an institution that assists trafficked women and girls in finding shelter. The organization also helps pay for the education of five thousand children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hyderabad...
has committed her life as a fulltime volunteer in Prajwala. A mental health professional, she has done extensive research and is essentially a field practitioner. She has been instrumental in rescuing hundreds of children from severely abusive conditions and restoring childhood to them. Sunitha Krishnan is making it possible for India's government and citizen organizations to manage jointly a range of protective and rehabilitative services for children who have been trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. As of 2007, Prajwala operated 17 schools in Hyderabad as part of Krishnan's strategy to remove women from brothels by first giving their children opportunities outside the red-light districts. In addition to her local work, she has tried to increase pressure on foreign governments who, she says, fail to adequately enforce laws against sex-trafficking and sexual predation. For example, she says that although Americans comprise 25% of sex tourists in Asia, the US government does too little to prosecute them.
Awards
Sunitha Krishnan received awards for her role in the anti-trafficking sector:- Stree Shakti Puraskar (national award)
- Perdita Huston Human Rights Award
- World of Children Award
External links
- Prajwala homepage
- Abernethy, Bob, Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, episode No. 1019, January 5, 2007 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1019/profile.html
- Ashoka.org
- Micek, Peter, "Indian Activist Warns Teens About Sex Trafficking," New America Media, News Report, Dec 27, 2006 http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=34b15b208f46187a371ddda12eca34b9
- Nair, Yasmin, "American Home Trafficking and the Return of Domesticity," Calmour, Issue 37, Summer 2006 http://www.clamormagazine.org/issues/37/sexgender.php
- "Prajwala - A home/school for Molested Children," February 28, 2004 http://www.ramdhanyk.com/movabletype/archives/thoughtprocess/000710.html
- Price III, G. Jefferson, "Women who shoulder the world's burdens with grace," Christian Science Monitor, April 10, 2006 http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0410/p09s01-coop.htm
- The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Public Broadcasting System, 2007