Ujjawala Home (Nari Sakti Sadan) Project
Ujjwala is a national scheme established by the Ministry of Women and Child Development that works to prevent human trafficking and provides rescue, rehabilitation and re-integration services to victims of trafficking. The trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation is an organized crime that violates basic human rights. Human trafficking is an ever-growing problem in India, and so a multi sectoral approach is needed to not only work to end human trafficking, but to rescue, rehabilitate and re-integrate victims of this heinous crime. Poverty, low status of women, and the lack of a protective environment are just a few factor that make individual vulnerable to human trafficking, and so prevention measures need to be targeted to these issues.
Making use of the existing community supports, the Ujjwala scheme offers five areas of assistance: prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, re-integration and repatriation. Prevention efforts take place in the form of awareness campaigns, sensitization workshops and seminars, and the creation of community vigilance groups. Rescuing occurs through the cooperation of police, NGOs, women’s groups and other networks to rescue women that are found as human trafficking victims. Rehabilitation takes the form of providing basic amenities and a safe environment for women, including health and legal services if needed. In addition, educational and vocational trainings are available to give victims alternative livelihood options should they need them. Finally, reintegration and repatriation efforts are attempted to restore victims back into their families and communities, returning them to their country of origin if they are an international victim.
SROUT is the implementing agency of the Ujjwala scheme in the Korba district, and thus works closely with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to assist victims of human trafficking. This partnership started in June 2013 and since then has offered a temporary shelter for women who have been rescued from domestic violence, human trafficking, and other various forms of abuse in the Korba district. The Korba women’s home is involved in two of the five components of the Ujjwala scheme, prevention and rehabilitation of human trafficking victims. With this scheme in place, there is hope that the number of human trafficking cases will be reduced, and women will be empowered to exercise their rights to advocate for a society free from abuse and harm.