Trafficking-Modern Day Slavery

I recently visited Prajwala (www.prajwala.com), an NGO that is dedicated to combating sex trafficking and caring for its victims.  Trafficking, the modern day equivalent of slavery, is one of the issues that American diplomats focus on throughout the world.  It’s a global problem affecting as many as 27 million people at any given time, including millions of Indians subjected to forced labor, bonded labor and commercial sexual exploitation.

 My visit to Prajwala’s office and some of its facilities gave me a much deeper understanding of the evil effects of sex trafficking.  Evil is not the kind of word I use as a diplomat, but after meeting victims at a Prajwala center, I’m not going to pretend that I’m a dispassionate observer.  Prajwala engages in a full range of activities, including advocacy and efforts at trafficking prevention, but the major focus of its work is on rescuing and rehabilitating women and girls who are victims of sex trafficking.  Not only does sex trafficking involve injury and abuse, it robs its victims of their own sense of humanity, and wipes out their comprehension of what normal human interactions are like.  Prajwala patiently works with victims to restore their sense of self worth and self control.  It was wonderful for me to see the pride women working in Prajwala’s workshops felt in their skills.  


At a sheltered school it was very moving to see how children who were victims of sex trafficking (some as young as 3-years-old) could recover the ability to act as children, and work toward reintegration into normal schools.  But it was also clear that not everyone recovers.  I met some children who were rescued years ago, but suffered physical or psychological injury so great that they will never be “normal” again.  Meeting them was heartbreaking, and I know that what happened to them can only be called evil.

Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, one of Prajwala’s founders, was my briefer and guide on Monday.  She has received numerous accolades, including being recognized as an anti-trafficking in person’s hero by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009.  While I’m amazed and humbled by her dedication and her effectiveness, I think every one of the employees and volunteers I met is also a hero.  Not only do they tirelessly restore hope to the hopeless, they also suffer assaults and insults from mafia members and traffickers seeking to undermine Prajwala’s efforts. 

The other thing that struck me about Prajwala was how well it worked in partnership with others.  Prajwala works closely with the police to locate and rescue victims.  It works with government agencies to provide services to victims.  It works with the private sector to identify vocational opportunities for rehabilitated victims.  And Prajwala provides training and advice to other organizations seeking to provide similar services.  Partnership increases Prajwala’s effectiveness and magnifies its impact. A video of a presentation Dr. Krishnan gave in Mysore can be viewed at  http://www.ted.com/talks/sunitha_krishnan_tedindia.html

 Praheen, one of the little girls she talks about, was one of the damaged children who broke my heart on Monday. You’ll know what I mean if you hear her story.

On March 28, Prajwala launched a campaign called “Men Against Demand” to fight trafficking by reducing demand for prostitution.  Men interested in pledging to stop buying sex and to support the human dignity of women can sign the pledge at http://www.change.org/petitions/pledge-to-be-a-man-against-demand-for-prostitution

Nothing is Impossible

Guest Blogger- Celia Thompson 

Celia Thompson is the Chief of American Citizen Services.  She has served as a Foreign Service officer since 2005 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Mrs. Thompson trained as an Educator at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas and taught English in Thailand, South Korea, Colombia, and Ethiopia before joining the Foreign Service.  She speaks Thai, Swedish, Amharic, and Spanish.

 Last week, I traveled to Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Orissa (aka Odisha), to take part in two exciting events for International Women’s Day. It was the 100^th anniversary of this important holiday, and I felt greatly honored to get to speak about the women’s empowerment movement around the world. As the proud mother of two young beautiful intelligent daughters, Girl Power is something I strongly espouse.

The first event was put on by an NGO, and it featured a panel of diverse, distinguished women from Orissa: a human rights activist, a gynecologist who’s famous for her poetry, an Odissi dancer, a newspaper editor, a social worker, a university professor, and a director of a women’s college. We were all there to celebrate the launch of a new weekly newspaper called Janaani, meaning the Voice of Women. The exchange of ideas and opinions by the guests and the audiences was fascinating. 

Although I don’t speak Oriya, the panelists on my left and right graciously translated for me so that I could follow the main ideas. Topics included female foeticide, suicide, unmarried men and women cohabitating, the need to educate women in English medium schools, and discrimination against girls in the classroom.  I was greatly inspired by these women who spoke about topics dear to my own heart. It was heartening to meet Indian women who share my concern with the status of women.  It was also inspiring to meet women who do more than talk about the issues – they are turning words into actions and making an impact.

From there, I moved on to the second event. It was a meeting of women at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, an impressive facility that educates 16000 students and hosts the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, a boarding school that offers 12000 tribal children a free academic and vocational education. I spoke to a packed auditorium of women including college students, high school students, and university professors and administrators. 

After delivering a brief speech from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, I opened the floor to questions. They wanted to know what I thought about the “invisible glass ceiling.” They asked about pay disparity between men and women in similar jobs in the U.S. It was the most exciting event I’d ever attended in my six years as a Foreign Service Officer. The women were eager to know more about women in the U.S., and I was delighted to talk about how far we have come in a brief period of time. 

I also told them how proud I was of American and Indian women’s efforts, and how the only limits we have in our struggle for female empowerment are the limits we place on ourselves. Women have come so far in the world, but we still have far to go. If women in India and women in the U.S. work together to advance the cause of Women’s Rights, nothing is impossible.