An Untapped potential

  by Karuna Dayal. Originally published at http://www.atlascorps.org/blog/?p=7309

 

Globally it is believed that ensuring girls stay in school is one of the most effective ways to prevent child marriage. During all my community engagements and development work in South Asia with adolescent girls it got proven that Education empowers women to overcome discrimination. I heard girls mentioning that they have tremendous pressure from parents to get married. Those who were married and recalled how a small decision could have changed their lives mentioned that education is very important for a young girl as it makes her very independent education is very important to a girl, as it makes her very independent, and gives her a chance to stand on her own feet. The society looks down on girls, who are not educated, and takes them for granted and treats them badly. An educated woman is respected. Parents of a girl child are not very supportive in educating her. Whereas they think it is important to educate the boy child, so that he can grow up, get a job and support the family.

Education is very important to a girl, as it makes her very independent, and gives her a chance to stand on her own feet. The society looks down on girls, who are not educated, and takes them for granted and treats them badly. An educated woman is respected. Parents of a girl child are not very supportive in educating her. Whereas they think it is important to educate the boy child, so that he can grow up, get a job and support the family.

These girls are most vulnerable to getting pressurized by their families to drop out of school. According to the Education for All campaign one in seven girls have children before age 17 in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia. In these regions, 10% fewer girls would become pregnant if they all had primary education, and 59% fewer would if they all had secondary education. This would result in around 2 million fewer early births.

1.8 billion young people are a powerful force, individually and collectively. They are shaping social and economic realities, challenging norms and values, and building the foundation of the world’s future. Never before have there been so many young people.

Adolescent girls and young women who are educated have greater awareness of their rights, and greater confidence and freedom to make decisions that affect their lives. Keeping girls in schools and letting them make important decisions in their communities.

For females especially, gender differences—not sex differences—translate to poverty and lack of power, and prevent women and girls from fully contributing to and thriving in their societies.

If all girls completed primary school in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, the number of girls getting married by age 15 would fall by 14%; with secondary education, 64% fewer girls would get married. In Ethiopia, for example, while almost one in three young women with no education were married by the age of 15 in 2011, only 9% were married among women with secondary education. Because of the weakness or absence of legal sanctions on child marriage, other approaches are being tried, including those aimed at keeping girls in school and working with community members to change norms around early marriage and childbearing. This is where strategic leadership models come into place to signify the importance of building leadership on a foundation of education, involving boys and men deliberately to be apart of the plan, changing social norms, attitudes and behaviors to support girls’ rights. 

I always wondered how change will happen in the next decade if don’t have such a plan. Would the development goals for education, public policies, international agreements and conventions all get diluted one day? It never will! – since every discussion of overcoming poverty requires an acknowledgment of education as a basic human right and as an important driver of social and economic development. It gives us hope of keep moving forward to build capacities, knowledge and the developing a real stamina for making transparent changes.

“Mindfulness – Going in Skeptic, Coming out Convert”

-guest post by ‪#‎AtlasCorps‬ Alumnos, Karuna Dayal (India, served at CARE International )

One year is a long time to transform how we think, act and react. It surely is a good learning experience of how mindful one should be, and at what levels this technique should be applied. I attended various talks given by international leaders, engaged in discussion with many others and started mapping how mindful each one of them was, while they were talking to me in person, people in larger groups or giving a piece of their mind to a much larger audience beyond whom you could see. It was all about ‘mindfulness.’ Many of us leaders come from various walks of life, and we bring in new ideas, renew the old ones and tread on a path that is truly transformational.

My key take-away, amongst many others, has been to use this technique called ‘mindfulness’ more frequently while I listen, talk, respond to others mindfully. Leadership is not easy and it doesn’t come easily to those who do not use this technique enough.

I recently read how Anderson Cooper started his meditation retreat and how it transformed him as a person. I can say that, as development workers, we are high caliber people who are working consistently between pressures, stipulations and calibrations all the time. Mindfulness becomes a way of life for many of us. Like I said, it doesn’t come easily. It comes with practice – that doesn’t have limitations, displaces the old with the new, and renews the old in this process. It also meant how effectively I could bring back the focus on my own life, the ones around me and my professional and personal commitments.

Serving as an Atlas Corps Fellow has been a transformational experience for me, I will say. I always looked at official retreats as a skeptic when I was in India, but something suddenly changed my mind, when I first started serving at CARE International. Starting a day at the pool, chilling out with colleagues at an official business retreat just brought me out as a convert! This, I obviously realized later, as a part of my ongoing self- analysis.

There were several similar revelations, which also struck me later. My next realization came at the HIVE Global Leaders Program last year, where we started off with an invigorating meditation and yoga session. This was proven as if I longed for this day with a long positive sigh! For a while, I was confused between relaxation and mindfulness. I am still figuring out what mindfulness actually means. Until then, I relate to a working definition of it, which is the awareness that arises through deliberately and non-judgmentally paying attention in the present moment. Mindfully, I realize and because I realize, I believe and thrive. This is my take-away from the Atlas Corps Fellowship.

‪#‎GlobalService‬ ‪#‎socialgood‬ ‪#‎transformation‬
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To learn more about the Atlas Corps Fellowship, visit www.atlascorps.org. If you are a nonprofit leader from overseas who wants to apply to become an Atlas Corps Fellow, please visit http://apply.atlascorps.org

The Law of Attraction is a Nexus

 

I recently met Maysoon Zayid while attending the Nexus Global Youth Summit 2014 as a part of the Atlas Corps delegation. It was only last year when I was watching this brilliant TED talk by this graceful, witty and courageous Arab-American woman who has made beyond the 99 problems in her life and Cerebral Palsy. Maysoon is a writer, actor, comedian, co-founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. Her father's mantra was "You can do it! You Cancan". She says "if a wheelchair user cannot play Beyoncé then Beyoncé can't play a wheelchair user". She is muslim, a woman with celebral palsy, fantastically humorous and from New Jersey. For a lot of 'special' people with any kind of disability, internet can be really awful. Maysoon made this challenge her strength. If ‪#‎MaysoonZayid‬ cancan YOU cancan.

If you are thinking that how is all this connected with the law of attraction for me? Last year after watching Maysoon speak on TED Women, I was not only drawn to laughing literally to tears but I also thought for a second about learning how she made it here despite all the challenges. This was just a fleeting thought I threw in the universe and forgot about it. I didn't realise that the phrase "every action or thought has an equal and opposite reaction" which can be so true. Not only did I get a chance to meet Maysoon but I connected with many more brilliant change-makers whom I couldn't think of connecting with under one roof. I am so sure by now that the 'Law of Attraction' does work in our lives. It is a very strong factor that gets us closer to be where we want to be, do what we want to do and persevere to have all what we've always wanted to.

Just like Maysoon's story, we all have our a-ha and down moments and I believe that we create the kind of life we lead, our thoughts have the power to influence the environment around us. Our thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to actions and actions lead to reactions. At the Nexus Global Youth Summit 2014, various leaders spoke about how they created an idea to change lives and create opportunities. They were constantly thinking and working towards the idea till the ideas started to change lives. There were some exceptional stories shared by social entrepreneurs, leaders and investors which made me come closer to spark an idea more concretely than I'd ever imagined. It is said that if you really want to do something, do it with all your heart and the heart will never fail you no matter what comes your way.This is how the law of attraction works. It brings you closer to what you dream, what you think and what you want to do. You ought to feel confident about yourself, feel like sunshine, reflect positive vibes without feeling hesitant, keep moving and leading with courage. This is how I became a part of Nexus.

#WeAreNexus #AtlasCorpsRepresent

Untying The Knot

This post was originally published here: CARE

Sometimes girls get married because they think they are getting a better life than what they are leaving behind.  Sadly, this is not always true. It is a sobering moment when you understand how a society treats its women. In a broader sense, what defines a society is how it treats its poorest, weakest and most vulnerable members—especially women and girls. After three months of being kidnapped and held captive by the Boko Haram militia, more than 60 out of the 200 Nigerian school girls escaped. These brave girls’ escape reminds me that millions of girls go missing every year—forced into or sold for marriage—and most of them would like to escape, too. This incident has also brought to light the similarities of young girls at risk. It is not just Nigerian girls who face the threat of early and forced marriage. My work with girls at risk in South Asia has made it clear to me just how vulnerable girls can feel  in other parts of the world as well as the high prevalence of early marriage in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

I was on a fact finding mission in Mewat, a district in the State of Haryana in India, to collect first-hand information about young girls who were forcibly married by their parents in the Middle East. Girls are not just at risk from their parents looking to get rid of a burden; there are high rates of young girls from different regions of India who agree to go abroad to get married in search of better options than what they see at home.  With no opportunity to finish school, and facing being a burden in their parents’ home, sometimes a marriage—any marriage—seems like the best way out. There may be promises of money, having her own home, or being an adult in their society.

Paro, in Rajasthan, was one of those girls.  She was very hesitant to tell her story, but opened up as she saw other girls participating in community workshops I organized on a monthly basis. Paro, who is now 22 years old, was sold as a bride at the age of 15 to a 50 year old man. A man who regularly came to her home village, convinced her to run away to the big city because he promised her a job and a better life in a big city.  I asked Paro why she agreed to flee from her home state to Rajasthan. She replied, “I needed a better life and money. I had no other option. After coming here I got caught in the cycles of exploitation, I worked as cheap labor.” She told me that there were many other girls like her who were deceived on promises of getting a better life, and were taken to places far away from their homes and loved ones.

Caught between the circles of extreme poverty, low literacy rates, early drop-out from schools, hunger, poor family planning, high mortality rates, thousands of such girls go missing and fall prey to getting married early. Unfortunately, the current laws do not do justice to seeking protection, rehabilitation or re-integration of these girls and women.Despite the laws against early and forced child marriage, the rates remain extremely high. Human rights activists and legal experts believe that the only way to end underage marriages is to make school education compulsory. In my mind, education is not the only solution to protect girls or delay their marriage. Until families realize that the root cause of the problem lies within their homes and cultures, this will continue to haunt the lives of young girls, who will continuously be taken for granted.

Some crucial next steps are educating and raising awareness levels of their families, communities and the key actors at large about the repercussions of early marriages.  We also need to create livelihood opportunities for girls and train them on life-skills. Economically empowering young girls so that they can create better lives for themselves gives girls options other than child marriage or running away to the big city based on false promises of a better life.  This would bring more meaningful changes in the life course of a young girl.

 
About the Author: Karuna Dayal is an Atlas Corps Fellow from India serving at CARE USA.  As a Policy Fellow she is engaged in supporting the Tipping Point team in research and analysis around implementation of donor and government policies addressing child marriage in Bangladesh and Nepal, strategic planning and project implementation including activities aimed at capacity building, communications and knowledge management, and contributing to the development of an advocacy strategy to influence key stakeholders at global and national levels.

India Plus Social Good – Promoting change through Social Media.

“We have to not just open our eyes to what’s going on in other places; we need to open our eyes to what’s going on right in front of us.”
 —Forest Whitaker, artist and UNESCO goodwill ambassador

Last month, I attended the post India +Social Good briefing and brainstorming meeting organized by the United Nations Foundation in Washington DC with many others from the civil society, who passionately work towards making new innovations using the new media but also  find solutions to the growing challenges to the world’s most burning issues. It was extremely stimulating to hear stories of success and questions full of curious calibrations on the measurement of such an impactful form of development. The India +Social Good Summit took place in Mumbai, India on April 9th 2014. It brought together influencing voices from a country with more than 1 billion people who are passionate about creating the hardest to find innovations. It is inspiring to see how the journey of Social good has reached its feat in its present avatar. Connecting the dots with the bits and bytes of modern day technology, the digital media is doing good for individuals around the world. There is also a good amount of those who are still neo’s or have no access to technology. That’s where the idea of social good comes in.

As an example, India had reached it’s peak on the social media platform back in 2011, right after the triple Mumbai bomb blasts. The city of Mumbai in India was made target of triple bomb blasts by terrorists. Seventeen people were killed and 130 were injured in these blasts. All three blasts took place within a time period of 10 minutes. What followed the blasts, apart from the loss of many lives, injuries and a loss of assets, was a complete state of panic and chaos in the entire city of Mumbai. There was extreme commotion on streets, telephone lines were jammed and people were left stranded and helpless. At such an hour, when telephone and mobile lines were jammed, Internet and social media came to the rescue of many. Soon after the explosions, the activity on online social websites increased manifold, users on Facebook and Twitter posted updates about news, the information about their whereabouts, news of their well-being and helped those in need.

Amidst this conundrum, a Twitter user, Nitin Sagar created a spreadsheet on Google to coordinate relief operation among people who needed it most. Within hours hundreds of people registered on the sheet via Twitter. People asked for or offered help on that spread-sheet for many hours ahead. Similarly, a Twitter user created a disaster tracker map that enabled users to crowd-source information for crisis management from mediums like Twitter. Most recently, the Delhi Rape case brought mass rage throughout the globe over social media and on the ground. Many of us in New Delhi the capital of India were creating awareness online about this brutal attack on a 23 year old girl. The social media was our way to reach thousands of young people over the digital platform to come out on the roads and protest against government negligence and slackness to get out to seek a strong reform in the criminal justice system. The result of this is now measured as the most successful outcomes in the social media history. Voices online and on the ground became fiery, lawmakers were pushed to act upon taking stronger decisions and make amendments to the Criminal Amendment Act. A new law which has somewhat started taking things seriously!

The Social media platform, emerged as a vast data source of information and support about what followed as an aftermath of the events not only in Mumbai but all over the world by an individual who took the responsibility to get together masses. There were real time spreadsheet for closest blood banks in Mumbai. Examples such as this boost impact, boost research, boost capacities offline to what lacks currently is the documentation of the work offline done by India’s large development sector. With social media leading and driving the pace for digital development  the need of the hour is to build a movement of creating such documentation and awareness.Social Media can be a big game changer, as a social media enthusiast and a social development leader, I can strongly vouch for it. It is like the speed of light traveling around the universe opening up new avenues for change and development.

“The Internet is allowing for us to really experience people in some of the most distant places in the world — as other people just like us. So get to know people, seek out bloggers from a country you’re kind of curious about. It’s about building empathy and breaking through to the point of recognizing people as people.”
 — Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia

One last thought: We should remember to keep it real with the competitive nature of technology. It is to have a clear vision with focus on the right kind of messaging that will make an idea sustainable.

#PlusSocialGood #SocialGood #India #atlascorpsrepresent

Did you know? - AMBER Alert and other Inter-Country responses

 This post was originally published on April 14th 2014 at http://www.atlascorps.org/blog/?p=4426

In the last 3 month in Washington DC, I have received four AMBER Alerts on my phone. For a while the AMBER Alert made me wonder of all possible doubts about my phone being infected by a virus. This thought lingered since the time I received this anonymous, continuously vibrating message on my phone which popped up on the phone screen from nowhere and disappeared after a while. In fact, it was strange to know that some of my colleagues at work were surprised too on a day we received it together. Initially, for a couple of minutes at work, I misunderstood this abbreviated term as a virus alert on my phone till this curiosity led me to do a quick web search over the mystery behind it. Nothing could have left me more amazed about what I figured out in the next 5 to 10 minutes. I was quite impressed to know about the organized technical and practical response set by the United States Department of Justice. Through all these 7 to 8 years of experience in the Indian Non-profit sector and devising strategies for and working with Task Forces on finding missing, trafficked and exploited children I never saw such an example and far-sightedness of technology.

 The US Department of Justices’ AMBER Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between the law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the widest reachable wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. It started back in 1996 in Dallas – Fort Worth. It is a nation wide system which is now active in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The AMBER Alert system has also been adopted in the Canadian provinces and continues to expand into the Mexican border states.

The primary goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly stimulate the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child who has gone missing. In case citizens or commoners have queries and clues they asked to direct calls to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) who are managing the secondary distribution of AMBER Alerts.

I worked with the famous Childline network in India on more than 100 cases of missing and trafficked children and women across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Childline is an India based network which ensures a integrated child protection response. The Childline’s 1098 service is India first toll free tele helpline launched back in 1996 for street children.  The same year when AMBER Alert was launched. Similarly in Europe, the European Child Alert Automated System (ECAAS) was started in 2007 with the support of the European Commission to start the ‘Child Abduction Alert’. This is an automated system for child alerts that will enable law enforcement in the partner countries to quickly notify the public when a child goes missing and ask for their assistance. Equally significant, the partner countries: Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Portugal will be able to communicate with their partners to launch the alert in cases where there is information that the child has been taken to another country.  

 

In China, which is a home to a centuries old scourge of buying and selling of children, abduction appears to be less lethal but no less painful. There seems to no system in place to find missing, abducted children, parent with a very less amount of help by police are forced to find their children on their own. More than 60,000 children are estimated to go missing each year. Children from China are less expensive to buy for adoption than South Korea. These children are mostly abducted and put up for adoption. A lack of coordinated child alert systems in these countries makes it harder for parents to track their children for years. United Kingdom uses the Child Rescue Alert System (CRA) which started in 2007 based on the AMBER Alert system. The CRA is managed by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre.

Back in 2012, the abduction of April Jones triggered the first nationwide Child Rescue Alert ever used in the UK as investigators started weighing up the risk to the child in the hours after her disappearance.

Child Alert systems such the AMBER have proven to be beneficial for a well coordinated response in saving lives of many innocent children. In my experience of tracking, rescuing and reintegrating missing children in India, i can validate this with a firm belief that there is a high amount of coordinated intelligence, presence of mind and a proactive community and inter-agency response needed to make it happen, keeping in mind all legal and sociological grounds to protect a child.

Celebrating many firsts!

 This blog was originally published at http://www.atlascorps.org/blog/?p=4427

To begin with, this celebration started with the very first step forward to experiencing my first trip to the U.S., moulding my chain of thoughts, combining and collecting my knowledge of experiences to be prepared for the plethora of firsts ahead of me. Only to realise that it will be a fascinating mission to serve in a foreign country. And mind you, I define it as instilled by the core training principles of Atlas Corps that you are here to ‘serve’ for positive development, to do the best of your ability to give your best and take back the better with you.

The year 2014 started with so many firsts. Ever since the selection from India for the Atlas Corps Class 14 Fellowship or my arrival in the United States of America – it has been an unstoppable journey of many firsts. My first ice-skating experience and the first fall in the ice-skating rink were thrilling. From experiencing my first falling snow, making a snow family in the extreme winter to springing forward with daylight saving of time and preparing to fall forward in anew.

The first month had been full of initial explorations and learning about American culture, communication, as what Dr. Gary Weaver told us fellows during the first orientation week of Class 14′s arrival in DC.  As I see it, cultures cannot be understood when locked inside the vicinity of different rooms they are better understood when experienced outside of those rooms”.  The first week gave me different levels of experiencing many firsts. Right from So, that was my first composed cultural shock!

As clichéd as it may sound there is a saying from my country that – you can take an out Indian out of India but you can never take India out of an Indian, as colourful, diverse and awesome it appears to be, serving at one of the best international non-profits is the most amazing experience I can look for coming from the field of social development. This experience, reinforces confidence, sense of freedom and identity, anticipation of getting to know leaders from across the world and the heightened pleasure of contributing to such a big year ahead of me. It is one of those many firsts that gives my conscience a boost to grow more as a global development leader.

Coming from a background of social movements, In an activist terminology, it has been an empowering journey till now!

Engaging Men and Boys this IWD!

This blog was orginally published at http://bit.ly/1e6zZEb
and on Atlas Corps Service Inc. Blog at http://www.atlascorps.org/blog/?p=4455


The world revolves around a woman and her courage. Her Courage is my inspiration.
But then there are men and boys who are the most important part of her life. Men often are closely linked to all the phases in a woman’s life. As a mother, a she nourishes him makes him stand strong on his feet. As a sister, she gives him the companionship of a play-mate, a care-giver, a strong pillar of support. She respects him, loves him endlessly and devotes her life to him as a wife and his better half. She tries to make both ends meet with all the courage she can gather as a ‘Woman’. Her courage and inner strength keeps her going.

I am fortunate to have experience working with Tribal women in the most remote locations in India, trafficked adolescent girls from the neighborhood countries, women from the red light areas and most recently working with Muslim women and girls. There wasn’t a better experience gave me the courage to lead the change and draw inspiration from some great village women leaders. As part of the change process, legal empowerment of women and girls is the strongest tool for making them aware of their rights. There have been thousands of such change agents who came across my path towards this journey while working with the Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) which is an NGO working on legal empowerment based in New Delhi, India. This inspiration gave me the courage in abundance to empower women, girls and men about laws on education and gender based violence. A major shift was reflected in the participation of men and boys in our programs to take lead in promoting education of girls in their community.
At the international level, my current organization, CARE, inspires me to see women colleagues who have support from spouses to take care of their new born’s while they equally divide time between work and home. CARE puts forth an outstanding model for young leaders like me to learn from a transparent and value based approach. It truly shows that gender equality and women’s empowerment is at the heart of its programming, as is reflected in its Vision for 2020. Working with women’s empowerment implies working to shift gender norms too, which necessarily involves men. The work culture makes me reflect on the fact that while we work on gender equity across our projects, we need to be appreciative of each of our staff. Working abroad poses a lot of challenges for working couples especially women
Here I quote two examples from CARE’s work and approach on gender stereotypes, relation to partners, as well as their professional work.
“The Abatangamuco approach is an important part of CARE Burundi’s program approach to social change towards gender equality. Abatangamuco (“those who bring light”). CARE is supporting the Abatangamuco to convince more men in Burundi to challenge traditional practices and influence others to change their harmful behavior against women. Abatangamuco is a social movement of men who speak out to their communities about their personal transformation that supports a more egalitarian society. CARE is now supporting a growing number of Abatangamuco to convince more men and women in Burundi to challenge traditional practices and influence others to change their harmful behavior against women.”
CARE Balkans: “The Young Men Initiative – The program that started in 2007 targeted boys and young men between 13 – 19 years old in Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia. With a goal to reduce gender-based violence (GBV), CARE implemented a ground-breaking program that worked with young men aged 13-19 to deconstruct masculinity in their cultures and determine how gender norms and male socialization lead to inequitable attitudes and behaviors. The program was successful in changing attitudes in a more gender equitable way.”
These two examples reinforce a global response on changing mindsets not just in our programme areas but also in our workplace by building capacities, promoting education and instilling confidence through awareness and empowerment. Women and girls together with men and boys have been revolutionary in bringing that social change. This year we need to make an strong effort to make efforts to make paradigm shifts. To combat Gender based Violence, it is not only a women’s issue.
It’s a men’s issue!

Diplomacy Vs. Hypocrisy!

It is only the tip of the iceberg when we talk about Domestic Workers rights status in India. Devyani Khobragade's arrest in the U.S. is only an indication of how we treat domestic laws in India and that resonates the ignorance about migrants from and in India. I feel ashamed of the treatment Ms. Khobragade has received in public view as a serving Diplomat, a woman and a mother.  But I strongly oppose the defense India puts forth to protest a punishable incident such as this. While it draws a direct correlation of the working and economic conditions of migrant workers in and outside India. The current case only leaves us to ponder about what must be the underlying tragedy and crisis of the domestic worker placed to serve at Ms. Khobragade? 

As per a news report "There was an embarrassing failure of US international protocol and error of judgement." (Read). The U.S. has accused Ms. Khobragade of manipulating the visa application for an Indian national who worked as a domestic worker at her residence. She was paying her less than the actual minimum wages and forcing her to work for more than 40 hours a week. Such has been a case with recent toture cases of domestic workers by Indian Diplomats in India. Mush gross cases of torture beyond ones imagination came to light in 2013.

Let's take a look at the legislative status of Domestic Workers Rights in U.S. and India:

A Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights took effect in New York State on November 29, 2010. Among other rights, this law gave domestic workers the right to overtime pay, a day of rest every seven days, three paid days of rest each year (after one year of work for the same employer), protection under the state human rights law, and a special cause of action for domestic workers who suffer sexual or racial harassment.

This law also gives domestic workers coverage under the New York State Human Rights Law if they have been harassed due to gender, race, sex, religion, or origin. The employer cannot make any unwanted sexual advances including both physical and verbal sexual actions. If the worker files a complaint, the employer cannot retaliate. This law covers all full-time workers, including immigrants. This law does not cover people who are related to the person they care for, or if they are a part-time worker, such as a baby-sitter. (Bill of Rights)

 Illustration by Keshav/ Source: The Hindu

The Government of India had enacted the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 for the social security and welfare of unorganised workers which included domestic workers. The National Social Security Board constituted under the Act had constituted a Sub-Committee of the Board to explore the extension of Social Security Schemes for unorganized workers.  The act was amended in 2010 and was introduced to curb trafficking and exploitation of these women employed as domestic workers and ensure better payments and working conditions. It is still languishing in Parliament.

'While the condition under which domestic worker sustain their lives is quite similar to other countries where the ILO Domestic Workers Convention is yet to be ratified. Paid domestic work continues to be excluded from the central list of scheduled employments under the Minimum Wages Act of 1948. It is not covered under either the Payment of Wages Act (1936) or the Workmen’s Compensation Act (1923) or the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act (1970) or the Maternity Benefit Act (1961).' (Read more)

India still awaits for a sound and safe environment to be set for domestic workers while facing external challenges and getting more settled with implementation of international laws in reality!

My World and My Vote on the UN Global Development Survey

It is not so easy to get convinced with what you get you see on online surveys and what you know is happening for real.

It was a fantastic experience for me to be part of the MY World survey. The survey has been initiated via the worldwide web the world over by the United Nations. The website idea and design are great and so are the numbers it offers to the person coming on the website.Take a look at www.myworld2015.org and explore.

Its not to do with RAPE, its to do with YOU!

After the nerve wrecking Delhi gang rape case, there have been thousands of women and most importantly minor girls who have been the bait of these rapists and succumbed to the fancies of these perpetrators. Waiting for a miracle to happen at the law-making and implementation forefront!

Courts to the rescue of missing children

While there are periodic reports in the media about abducted children, there is no systematic approach to the larger issue of missing children in the country. An order of the Allahabad High Court provides hope for ending police apathy and instituting a more co-ordinated approach to the problem. Karuna Dayal reports for Combat Law Magazine.

Link: http://www.combatlaw.org/?p=888

In Malancha Rajbari, a 15 year old girl managed to return after a year in a Delhi brothel……… “Once in Delhi, they put me in a brothel, where I was tortured and sexually abused. It continued for a year before I ran away in the morning”. In Khammam district-Andhra Pradesh, Sujata (name changed) was 10 years when she was sold to a brothel in Mumbai for Rs. 2000… “We used to live with Mrs. Trivedi… she used to take us for picnics with lots of men…we were not given any money…only food and clothes to wear”. She is 15 now and back. An estimated 30,000 girls are trafficked into the sex industry every year. Some are sold by poverty-stricken parents hoping that their children will find employment as domestic servants. Others are simply snatched off the streets, drugged, raped, and sold to brothel “madams.”

Due to the ignorance and apathy on part of the government and the police there has been a steady increase in the number of missing children each year. The shocking and traumatic Nithari killings in Noida underline the growing sense of insecurity and helplessness among the Indian citizens as a result of the lack of accountability in the government, police and other law-enforcement agencies. This lack of accountability is reflected in the inattentive and lax approach of the police when agonised parents come to seek their help. The court recently has brought the issue into the open and has also put the entire scenario of missing children in perspective. When the numbers of missing children provided by various organisations are collated they add up to an unacceptably large number. And it is possible that this is only the tip of the iceberg, since there may well be a large number of unreported cases.

For instance, in Ghaziabad alone, in the last three months 45 children had gone missing, as revealed by a local organisation. In Delhi, NavShrishti, an NGO working on child rights, on filing for an RTI (Right to Information), came to know that there were approximately a hundred children missing in the age group of 3 to 18 years. Countless children go ‘missing’ every year all over the country. These missing children are victims of abductions/kidnappings by family members, abductions/kidnappings carried out by non-family  members or strangers, children who run away on their own or are forced to run away due to compelling  circumstances in their families and extended surroundings, children who face unfriendly and hostile  environment and are asked to leave home or who are abandoned, children who are trafficked or smuggled or exploited for various purposes, and children who are lost or injured. This matter was brought to the notice of the court in Allahabad, when a distressed father took help of the law to find his child. It became evident then that there were more than 7000 children who had been missing for more than two years. Not only the administration and the police but also civil society takes no notice of this issue with the requisite seriousness. It seems that, on account of excess work load or a faulty system or a low sense of accountability or the want of a sound support system of justice and government, they just want to wash their hands off matter rather than making efforts to find ways and means to trace these children.

The police take advantage of the  vulnerability of the average citizen who is not aware of the law and often does not have the financial capacity  to take any required action. The government and the concerned bodies

accept the fact that the number of missing children is, in fact, more than the statistics given in reports from  time to time. It could be quite possible that in some cases the child for various reasons has run away on his or her own from home, a relative’s home, or an institution which the child’s parents/guardians construe as ‘missing’. But the consistent increase in the number of missing children all around the country makes it difficult to judge the gravity of the problem.

However, the guidelines set by the Allahabad High Court for missing children should put an end to the

lethargic attitude to the police and the government. This historic order of the Court came following the inaction of the police and the plea of a retired postal department employee, Vishnu Dayal Sharma, who moved the Allahabad High Court for tracing his 17 year old son Krishna Gopal when he went missing on February 22, 2005. The Court, acting on his plea, sought details from the state government on complaints of missing children of various age groups across the state. The case was heard by a bench, comprising Justice Amar Saran that started on January 2, 2007.

Following the orders of the bench the police lodged a report for Krishna Gopal’s kidnapping on January 5, 2007. Krishna Gopal has now returned home and the case for his kidnapping was closed eventually when a villager recognised him in a train. It was as a result of this case that data regarding missing children came out into the open, something that was otherwise kept under wraps by the police. Between 2000 and April 2008
there were 7,659 cases of missing children lodged in Uttar Pradesh. Of these, 5, 965 children have either been found or have died. It is not clear whether children who have returned home came back on their own or were returned with the help of the police. But, the biggest and most crucial question is, how are the remaining 2000 children still out of the police radar? The guidelines and orders that have proceeded from the

hearings on the missing children case in the Allahabad High Court have made the officials and the governing bodies answerable to the court. The court has asked the central and state governments to work in coordination to solve the problem of children who go missing. As a result of the directions of the high court there has been some visible change in the tracing of missing children, primarily in enabling poor and helpless parents to obtain legal and government access. The court has brought together the ministry of home affairs, ministry of women and child development, ministry of labour, ministry of social welfare, Delhi Government, Delhi Police, National Crime Records Bureau and prominent NGOs both at the Centre and state levels.

As directed by the high court, the police and the judicial system have been evidently showing some results.
The Uttar Pradesh Commissioner of Police has said that the missing children bureau has pasted two kinds of

missing children posters at various places in the state. One of the posters has mentioned the contact numbers

of an authorised body while the other has information for parents of missing children for the safety of the

child. According to the directions of the court, a budget of Rs 12.7 crores for the period of 2007-08 was allocated for taking photographs of school going children from the age group of 6 to 14 years. Till May 2008 the committee had involved the ministry of home affairs, ministry of women and child development, ministry of labour, ministry of social welfare, legal services authority, district magistrate, Allahabad in the mission to
rescue children.

Picture Courtesy: http://www.instablogs.com

Silence that is Disposable

This article was published in the COMBAT LAW . A bimonthly, Combat Law brings together diverse voices united against all forms of discrimination and exploitation in order to engage in an active, meaningful discussion and foster a climate for legal activism in pursuit of crafting a more tolerant, just, democratic and equitable world. 

Link: http://www.combatlaw.org/?p=531

The State follows a policy which silences even murmurs of protest by the tribal people, who have become sacrificial lambs — displaced from their traditional land and resources to facilitate rapid industrialisation, reports Karuna Dayal, member of the HRLN fact-finding team that investigated genesis of popular resistance in Jharkhand.

Simply put, those who are disposable are the ones who have fallen prey to the spiral of silence, they no longer have a voice — which is what adivasis in Jharkhand have surrendered to become. Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal are ‘important’ Indian states, for they house over 80 percent of India’s mineral resources such as iron, coal, bauxite and manganese, among others. The future industrial and economic growth of the country depends upon ‘peace’ in these regions. Naxalism in these belts thus, is looked upon by the government as an impediment to future growth of the country. Jharkhand, which is considered a land of paradox, is incredibly rich in natural resources — boasting of about 40 percent of India’s mineral wealth, the highest concentration in the country. On the other hand, the state is home to some of the world’s most destitute, dispossessed people, particularly Jharkhand’s indigenous population. Given the current state of affairs, ‘Operation Green Hunt’ continues to devastate thousands of lives with no hope of securing their rights.

The strategy

Operation Green Hunt is the name used by the Indian media to describe the Government of India’s ongoing paramilitary offensive against the Naxalite rebels. The Operation began in November 2009 in five states of the “Red Corridor”. The term is supposed to have been first coined by the Chhattisgarh police officials to describe the Operation as one of the most successful drives against the CPI (Maoist). The media till date uses the term erroneously to express the anti-Naxalite offensive. The beginning of November 2009 saw the first phase of the Operation originating in Gadchiroli district. As many as 18 companies of the central paramilitary forces were moved into the area in anticipation of the Operation.

“We will have to launch the joint offensive against the Maoists. My government is of the view that providing security and maintaining law and order is the duty of the government. We condemn the Maoist violence in any form,” the then Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren said in the state assembly on March 8, 2010. It was not clear earlier if Jharkhand would participate in the Operation, but Soren made it clear that Jharkhand too would launch the Operation. At present it is clearly visible that the verdict has been seriously applied in the state.

The implications

Sample this — Balki’s father-in-law Mane Marandi was shot dead. She had gone to the market during daytime when she heard gunshots. The victim had been sleeping outside his house taking an afternoon nap when the incident took place. Balki did not return to the house that night because she was afraid. The next morning she found him lying dead with gunshots on his body. No police inquiry was conducted. Moreover, the family has not received any compensation till date.

This is an example of civilians being fatally caught in the crossfire between the paramilitary forces and the Maoists. The state ensures that no police or medical inquiry is conducted so that the cause of death remains unascertained and the liability for compensation to families is left hanging mid-air. The state does not even maintain a record of those hurt, injured or killed in direct combat between the security forces and the Maoists.

Mausam Manjhi had been victimised by the police and had been implicated in a false case. The incident took place during February 2001. One morning he had gone to the fields to graze 24 goats. The police met him and asked him about his sons, and then asked him to leave. After that they called him back and took him to the police station. The police accused him of being an informer of the Maoists and subjected him to immense torture. He was made to lie on an ice slab and brutally beaten while in police custody. Not only was he not produced before the magistrate within 24 hours, but was taken to court only after eight days of this harassment. He was scared of the police and could not tell the magistrate of the brutalities of the police. He was imprisoned for 11 months but has been finally acquitted.

In another incident, a middle school in Khukhra village of Giridih district stopped functioning after it was occupied by the CRPF for camping. This angered the  Maoists, and led them to blow up the camp about a year ago.

Jharkhand’s vast natural wealth has prompted various national and multinational corporations to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the state government to extract the state’s resources for profit. A total of 105 MOUs have been signed between corporations and the government of Jharkhand, out of which 55 have been signed for acquiring land in the Saraikela, East Singhbhum and West Singhbhum districts. The villages of these three districts are on the forefront in the fight against resource-grab and displacement.

In Potka block, MOUs have been signed with Bhushan Steel for the acquiring of about 5,000 acres of land which would result in the displacement of 36 villages of the block. By the year 2000 an estimated six lakh people had been displaced in Jharkhand. As per the current status of MOUs the government expects that there would be a further displacement of about fifty five lakh persons. This figure does not reflect any kind of forced or voluntary displacement. Jindal Steel, a major private player in the steel industry, is also in the process of acquiring a large area of land around the Jadugoda mines. On March 22, 2010, surveyors and officials from Jindal Steel had come to the village. The villagers had gathered to protest, since Jindal Steel had initiated the entire process on their own without even approaching the Gram Sabha which is mandatory. In another case, the police, along with Bhushan Steel, had marked out 11 villages (Samorsai, Judi, Roladih, Bada Bhumri, Potka, Khaduasai, Hesgud, Poda Gumrih, Langamatiah and others). The surveyor from Bhushan Steel came to take measurements on September 8, 2009, while the villagers protested against the same, since they had come to the village without prior permission from the Gram Sabha. The villagers tied up a surveyor and took him round the village and then took him to the police station. Eventually, FIRs were lodged against 18 people of whom four persons were booked under Section 307 IPC for attempt to murder. Bhushan Steel is in the process of acquiring 4,000 acres of land, the villagers claim that the entire land is not government land, and is instead ‘gochhar zameen’ (grazing land) which belongs to the local community as a whole. The government has a new plot they say: it acquires land in the name of smaller companies which then resell the land to bigger companies and never come in the picture for follow-ups. Singhbhum is rich in sponge iron. If displacement does take place, it would greatly imperil food security. The past bears evidence to the fact that no rehabilitation has ever been provided to the displaced. Adivasi people whose land was acquired have not been compensated till date.

Will sanity return?

Perhaps, several incidents are haunting the land of Jharkhand each day. The government’s tactic of arresting and torturing local activists is an efficient way of crushing the movement against land grabs. It removes the most committed, energetic voices of the struggle, and it frightens others from becoming involved.

The condition of those who are residing in their villages is highly precarious and vulnerable. Given the fact that the government has not complied with the Supreme Court order on rehabilitation of displaced families (families which were displaced in the earlier phase of Salwa Judum violence), the new phase of violence by the security forces has added to the crisis in these remote and inaccessible villages. Instead of rehabilitating displaced and tortured people, the government, in the name of combating Maoism, is bent upon unleashing its lethal paramilitary forces and evicting people from their villages. The government and industrial collaborations in bribery, threats, violence, defamation, arrests, and torture demonstrate how far they will go to advance the state of ‘abjure violence’ in the region. It is essential to instantaneously end this policy of eviction and terror and enable people to live safely in their villages.

In search of identity.....

This blog is about Dini also known as Daisy, (human traffickers normally change the names of the victims as well as the identity which exists close to nothing), a 15 year old girl from Jharkhand who was trafficked to New Delhi for Domestic work by a Placement Agency on a false promise of working at a missionary institution. 

Incidents of this human trafficking case have been minutely described to share the process of interviews with the trafficked victim, traffickers, rescue planning, coordination and challenges faced while working with the police. 

DAY 1:

The team of rescuers after a bit of research with Dini's fathers help established contacts with Dini's employer. The house where Dini was working as a domestic worker was in Miya Wali Nagar, PaschimVihar, Delhi. 

On asking Mr. B, (Dini's employer) it was realised that she had run away from the house on 17 th of May. The owner claimed to have reported the girl missing to the closest police the day she ran away.

DAY 2:

The rescue team approached a Punjabi Bagh police station, informing them about the Placement agency.

The police staff was initially very apprehensive in sending a constable with the team to the placement agency for the mere reason that there was absolutely no complaint filed with the police in the matter of this case. They were constantly questioning as to how fist there could be a situation where the police hasn’t filed an FIR. They seemed to be quite amazed at the bizarre prospects of a police station not lodging an FIR. They seemed to believe that this case was the “head ache” of the Ranchi Police and that they had no authority to deal with the case. But after a lot of persuasion, they finally agreed to send a constable along and by default sent the head constable along.

On reaching the area, the first impression one gets wouldn’t in any ones wildest dreams suggest that there could have been such an agency being run there. In a crowded street, above a sweet shop after climbing a narrow stairway, we reached the Placement Agency. On entering the room we met Misha the Placement Agency owner. After a short round of questioning the Misha about Dini all the people inside the room were called out.

About 4/5 minor girls walked out from behind the curtains and were asked their names as well as that of their fathers. A lot of the girls were afraid to respond but eventually answered. It was revealed that all the girls were from Jharkhand. There was a boy there who claimed to be the brother of one of the girls but again when questioned was trying to divert it by saying that his sister had already mentioned all the details.The owner as well as the girls claimed that the girls were all going back to the village. But there isn’t any confirmation of that fact.

Since the team was more concerned with rescuing Mr. P's daughter, Dini, they got back t questioning Misha about her. She produced forms in which all the information about he girl was written. It included her name, age, current address and other such information. From the face of it, the agency seemed to be very well organised.

Following the information given in the form, we went to the mentioned address which was a house in Janak Puri, Delhi. Once there the lady, more worried about the consequence she will face, didn’t want to hand over the child or so much so as let us in till it was assured to her that it will be given to her in written that the girl has been handed over and that she was to face no trouble related to this case. She immediately brought out the form in which it read that the girl was 18 yrs of age. Once she realised that it wasn’t her who we wanted to deal with, we were allowed to enter the house and a girl was brought out.

Once the formalities of the written statements and handing over were completed, the girl and the father were both taken back to a safe place.

 DAY 3:

Flashback: 

We visited a Church, where Mr. P and his daughter Dini were residing. We first spoke to Dini as her father was not present at that very moment. The girl was asked few questions to get a clearer picture as to why was to that she actually ran away. She claimed that her friend, Loveleen’s bhabi, Salomi was the one who had informed Misha (the agency owner/human trafficker) about the girls and was told that the two- Dini and Loveleen want to go to Delhi to work. It was Misha who had come to take the girls to Delhi and stayed with the girls at her sister’s house. They reached Delhi on the 12^th and by the 13^th Dini, from here on was referred to as Daisy, was placed in a house in Miya Wali, Paschim Vihar.

She worked there till the 17^th after which she escaped. Her schedule there required her to wake up by 5 am and work till 9 pm. She did mention that she was scolded at times. On the 17^th she escaped and walked back to Punjabi Bagh on her own. She didn’t once stop for directions, and had observed the way when she was taken to work and knew it to the T.

Once she reached the Agency she told “Nandu”, Misha’s husband and the co-owner of the agency, that she wanted to go back home but instead he sent her to work in Janak Puri.

Dini's decision to come to Delhi was fueled mainly because she was persuaded by both Misha and Salomi. 

Dini is well versed in English and writes the language beautifully, she was a studying the the 10th grade when trafficked, She is very fond of writing and reading and wants to study further. She is now back in Jharkhand and is happily continuing with her education.

It has to be noted that in this kind of a service sector (placement agencies) there is an immense scope for Human trafficking to thrive. Many of these young girls end up working in forced labour situations where they work without wages and sometimes are also subjected to physical and sexual harassment. Till now, there is no Central Legislation governing the regulation of domestic placement agencies which protects these domestic workers.

Picture Courtesy: Facebook: Anonymous ART of Revolution's photo

You're a Thief ! - Part Two

This is an account of spending another day at the Observation Home for girls with Reshma. She herself starts telling me that she is very adamant about a lot of things. Like not wanting to go back home until her parents accept to come to visit her at the next hearing. She is happy and quite excited while she tells me about her experiences at home with her closed ones such as her mother and father. Her mother seems to be ignorant and quiet, as Reshma’s attitude with her mother at home describes. Her father seems to put pressure on her for not going out with her brother who asks her to steal things.

I further asked her about her activities at home which mainly focused on her daily routine. She tells me that she could go anywhere without any apprehensions at home. I asked her about her likes and dislikes. So, she happily tells me that she once saw a dream that she’s at a place where it is snowing heavily and is really cold but beautiful! She told her father the next day about it and he tells her that soon he’ll take her there. This happened when she was very young, maybe, 4-5 years old. But she doesn’t tell me where she went exactly. She visited Bulandshar with her brother Riyaz when she was quite young. When asked about how did he travel without having any money in hand. She says that he borrows money from friends for all his travels. While all this happened with her, she says that her mother has been unaware of her brother taking her along with him to various places.

She also shares about not getting a hair shampoo from the authorities to wash her hair and requests if I would be able to get one for her the next time I come to see her. I did not promise her instead told her that I’ll try, as counsellors were not supposed to give gifts or food to children in the observation home.

While leaving, I gave her an exercise to remember – it was to memorize the weekdays by writing them on a piece of paper. I did this intentionally because she kept telling me that she doesn’t feel like studying. But she readily agreed to learn the lesson and talk about it the next time I visited her. She asked me if she’ll get to go home soon and if she doesn’t.... she doesn’t care about what would happen! I asked her to again try and think about staying at the home or a hostel (to involve her positively) and she could inculcate some creative hobbies for sometime, just in case her parents do not accept her.

As I bid her goodbye she asked me if I could visit her more often.....I smiled back at her and gave her a hug.

Photo Courtesy: 'Vivid' by vmbui

You're a Thief ! - Part One

Back in the summer of 2009, I was appointed as a Counsellor by the Juvenile Justice Board on the request of a prominent child rights Advocate and an ex-colleague now, to rebound the lives of 4 very young girls held for petty offences under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000. After meeting the officials at a Government Observation Home where the four girls were staying, I submitted my first observation report to the Principal Magistrate regarding all my observations during the visit.As a result of this, I was appointed as the Counsellor for all Children in Conflict with Law at the Observation Home for Girls through a new order passed by the Principal Magistrate.

As a fresher in this satisfying yet very challenging job of counselling these children I was not aware of the new awakening. I had to feel a connection with the young girl before things were to change. I was told by my colleague rather well to take care of what emotions I see coming from young Reshma (name changed). She was very intelligent, beautiful, mysterious, bold and to my amazement done it all at the age of 13. 

One of the youngest girls amongst the responsibility of the other 4. Reshma was residing at the OHG (Observation Home for Girls). Her antecedent in delinquency dated back to the occasion a couple of months back when her elder brother took her along with another cousin to show his in-laws house, but mid-way decided to change the plan and instead took them along to attend a wedding of some stranger.

Reshma was completely oblivious to the change of plan. She was, however, explained in advance about getting a bag from inside a room where the marriage ceremony was taking place. She was asked by her brother and cousin to act as if she was one of the family members from the bride’s side. She, then, at an appropriate time was asked to take the luggage carrying the valuables along with her and leave the place immediately. Her brother and cousin then took away some of the valuables from the bag after breaking the lock. Some of the cash and jewellery was given to Reshma to be kept at their home in a safe place.

Thereafter, as the incident unfolded itself the police was informed by the robbed family about the theft and the pictures of Reshma were matched and recognized from the wedding day by some complainants. She was

then apprehended, whereupon she told the police that she was directed by her brother to commit the whole act. Surprising me with each of her expressions and conversation skills, Reshma came across as a very quiet and introvert girl but I knew her personality would soon change with time. And she would definitely be different the next time I visit her........

Picture Courtesy: Maggie Cipriano, Madhu Gopalan

The NGO Diary: Miracles Happen!

When you wish for something it most likely comes true - in forms small or big. You can be assured that there is a real connect with that one person out there. I had only wished to work with my present organisation while working at 'the Titanic' (My previous organisation - that's what I call it now). No matter how bad the experiences might have been, I still appreciate the Titanic for the opportunities given!

Talking about Miracles - I experience many as I live each day. Miracles just happen without giving a hint.At the verge of calling it quits since the day I joined, this feeling had overpowered a belief of taking experiences that were only good not bad. Well, as a matter of fact, there was nothing bad!

 The Titanic has people joining in as soon as they leave and it goes on and on and on..... I was ridiculed to my gut during an encounter I had with a senior at work on the first day. While it is normal to be welcomed in a new organization with a great hint of positivity and motivation. You want to be the least surprised with first day shocks. Now that I recall all the instances it only gives me a good loud burst of laughter and great memories of experiences taken. 

I say 'miracles happen' - my resignation at the Titanic was a miracle in itself that brought me out of that sinking feeling. The next moment my fellowship application at a U.S. top notch organisation had hit the block. Next miracle - I did fairly well in the selection rounds came into the Finalist category. 

And it continues.....

There is so much happening around us that we forget counting those MIRACLES. The smallest one that ever happened is sure to turn into a big one someday!

The NGO Diary: Children of the rainbow.....

The NGO Diary: Health Care and Victims of Human Trafficking

Health Care and Victims of Human Trafficking


I recently came across a petition asking people if they recognized a victim of trafficking? To that I would say, NO, we cannot recognize a victim of trafficking so easily unless and until there are circumstances which seem geographically, psychologically and emotionally disagreeable to a common individual.
But all too often, most human trafficking victims pass through the health care system unnoticed and unaided. Many medical professionals haven’t been trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of human trafficking and abuse. Ideally, doctors and nurses should know to be wary of controlling companions (traffickers, abductors/suitors) — and suspicious when patients do not speak for themselves or do not have control over their own identification documents. Other signs include marks of physical abuse, fearfulness, depression, and extreme submission.
In India, human trafficking victims – for example troubled young girls working as domestic workers, labourers, nannies would be seen going to local gynecologists on their own or forcibly taken by the controllers to get an abortion done. At this point of time, the doctor or the health practitioner is somewhat doubtful but not in full confidence of handling the situation well. Many a times there have been girls who were trafficked for work to a metropolitan city and they had to return back to their village/hometown to give birth. In this process, they get socially excluded, harassed and doubly vulnerable again to more such instances.
I want to draw your attention to the some “Visible Indicators of Trafficking in Person” given by the website – www.humantrafficking.org

Visible Indicators May Include:
* Heavy security at the commercial establishment including barred windows, locked doors, isolated location, electronic surveillance. Women are never seen leaving the premises unless escorted.
* Victims live at the same premises as the brothel or work site or are driven between quarters and “work” by a guard. For labor trafficking, victims are often prohibited from leaving the work site, which may look like a guarded compound from the outside.
* Victims are kept under surveillance when taken to a doctor, hospital or clinic for treatment; trafficker may act as a translator.
* High foot traffic especially for brothels where there may be trafficked women indicated often by a stream of men arriving and leaving the premises.
Trafficking victims are generally kept in bondage through a combination of fear, intimidation, abuse, and psychological controls. While each victim will have a different experience, they share common threads that may signify a life of indentured servitude. Trafficking victims live a life marked by abuse, betrayal of their basic human rights, and control under their trafficker. The following indicators in and of themselves may not be enough to meet the legal standard for trafficking, but they indicate that a victim is controlled by someone else and, accordingly, the situation should be further investigated.

Understand the profile of a trafficked person
What Is the Profile of a Trafficking Victim? Most trafficking victims will not readily volunteer information about their status because of fear and abuse they have suffered at the hands of their trafficker. They may also be reluctant to come forward with information from despair, discouragement, and a sense that there are no viable options to escape their situation. Even if pressed, they may not identify themselves as someone held in bondage for fear of retribution to themselves or family members. However, there are indicators that often point to a person held in a slavery condition. They include:
1. Health Characteristics of a Trafficked Person:
Trafficked individuals may be treated as disposable possessions without much attention given to their mental or physical health. Accordingly, some of the health problems that may be evident in a victim include:
* Malnutrition, dehydration or poor personal hygiene
* Sexually transmitted diseases
* Signs of rape or sexual abuse
* Bruising, broken bones, or other signs of untreated medical problems
* Critical illnesses including diabetes, cancer or heart disease
* Post-traumatic stress or psychological disorders
2. Other Important Signs:
In addition to some of the obvious physical and mental indicators of trafficking, there are other signs that an individual is being controlled by someone else. Red flags should go up for police or aid workers who notice any of the following during an intake. The individual:
* Does not hold his/her own identity or travel documents
* Suffers from verbal or psychological abuse designed to intimidate, degrade and frighten the individual
* Has a trafficker or pimp who controls all the money, victim will have very little or no pocket money
Questions to ask if you suspect you are in the presence of a trafficking victim
Screening Questions
1. Is the person free to leave the work site?
2. Is the person physically, sexually or psychologically abused?
3. Does the person have a passport or valid I.D. card and is he/she in possession of such documents?
4. What is the pay and conditions of employment?
5. Does the person live at home or at/near the work site?
6. How did the individual arrive to this destination if the suspected victim is a foreign national?
7. Has the person or a family member of this person been threatened?
8. Does the person fear that something bad will happen to him or her, or to a family member, if he/she leaves the job?
Anyone can report suspected trafficking cases to the responsible local authorities/NGO’s etc. If the victim is under 18, professionals who work in law enforcement, health care, social care, mental health, and education are mandated to report such cases. Through a grass-roots community-wide effort and public awareness campaign, more professionals on the front line can readily identify the trafficking victim and have him/her treated accordingly.

Contributed by Karuna Dayal in the Health Care Intelligence Forum
(The author is with Multiple Action Research Group in New Delhi and has extensive experience of dealing with trafficked victims during her association at Human Rights Law Network)