Meet Ajeet Singh - The Man Who's Fighting A War Against The Trafficking Of Women And Children In India
Ajeet Singh has been taking the issue of trafficking and the improvement of life of those rescued from trafficking to the world, all on his own.
¡°Child prostitution involving both boys and girls is very common today,¡± says Ajeeth Singh, who has rescued over 1,000 children from human trafficking so far.
We may have a vague notion of human trafficking as a big menace in our society. However, here is a man with a difference - he feels no threat as he knows he is assisting in making a difference. Guria (an NGO working towards the cause) has never limited itself within boundaries to restore the dignity of a trafficked person. The team has visited almost all the red light areas of the country and has rescued trafficked girls from Varanasi, Allahabad and Meerut. In fact, Guria has gone as far as rescuing trafficked children from Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Delhi, and Odisha, and far across the borders, in Nepal as well.
Facebook/Guria
¡°We believe that the solution to such a vital problem cannot be accomplished by limiting ourselves within specified boundaries,¡± says Ajeeth Guria, the founder of Guria.
Child prostitution involving both boys and girls is very common today, but female child prostitution is more common than male child prostitution. Termed as the oldest profession in the world, prostitution has become an integral part of 'all sorts' of professions that make the world. Women who resort to prostitution rarely get a sympathetic word from society and their life is wasted away selling momentary pleasures for a meal and an existence in cubby holes called 'cages'. If their plight is pathetic, worse still is that of the child prostitutes. In fact, today, there's even an existence of 'kid porn' where children, not adults, are chosen for sexual exploitation.
According to a report supported by the Department of women and child development, there are 3 million prostitutes in India, of which 40% are minors, which translates to a conservative estimate of approximately 12 lakh minors.
Facebook/Guria
The report further says 75% to 77% entered the sex trade through trafficking. In another report submitted by the Ministry of Home (Govt. Of India) it has been stated that 1,77,600 children went missing between the year 2009 and 2011, of which 55,470 remained untraceable.
According to the available information of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 28,595 children were kidnapped from 2008 to 2010, while the total number of children who went missing from 2008 to 2010 is 1,84,605 across the country.
The analysis report of the cases being intervened by Guria, from 2006-2012, states that 69% of the missing children are minors, and 83% of these missing children belong to the minority and other marginalized communities with very low incomes.
In 67% of the cases, the complaint/ First Information Report was not even registered by the police. In the remaining 15% cases, FIRs were registered through court.
Facebook/Guria
The context is extreme and the causes of child trafficking are complex. Guria sees a link between child trafficking and poverty, hunger, missing children, status of women and unsafe migration. Factors other than poverty that are culpable for the scene are gender inequality, low literacy level, traditional and religious practices in Bedia & Nat communities, Devdasi pratha etc. Corruption is endemic and there is an absence of rule of law. Even the double standard morality in this patriarchal set-up, male-centric policing and non-implementation of the existing laws are acting deterrents in the prevention of child trafficking.
Within the red light areas of Varanasi and Mau, Guria¡¯s approach has been to prevent the children from second generation prostitution through non-formal education centers, linking them with mainstream schools and mainstreaming of children through vocational training in fashion designing, beauty, nursing, computers etc. Even the rescued victims have been successfully restored with their families, with economic support for sustainable livelihood options.
pexels/representational image
¡°This issue has to be tackled through a holistic approach both at the source level and the destination level. Guria¡¯s holistic approach method includes education and alternative livelihood, healthcare, legal aid, awareness campaigns, Freedom Now campaign and concerts of marginalised artists, publications, advocacy, rescue, vigilance groups, sensitization of stakeholders and networking,¡± Guria says.
Facebook/Guria
"We have to build awareness on the national as well as the international front, against child prostitution. We have to reach the next stage of development by involving civil society in the whole struggle. Ultimately, we are trying to replicate our achievements by being members of several National and State Government Committees. We even sensitized the international community by experience sharing and lectures on the issue in International Universities like Cambridge, University of London and Princeton University and also had sessions of experience sharing with the US Ambassador on Trafficking.¡±
