Joginis are dedicated to a goddess when they are still young children. When they reach puberty they are sold for sex, and condemned to a lifetime of ritualised prostitution. Find out more here.

Dalit Freedom Network (DFN) is planning a ground-breaking initiative in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to break the chains of this abhorrent system. Initially a 12-month pilot project will focus on one district where it is alleged that every other day another young girl is dedicated as a Jogini.

The scheme will focus not just on existing Joginis and their daughters, but on every member of the community, including those who are particularly vulnerable.

[on-the-ground]

Working in a hundred villages across the district, DFN will deliver awareness programmes in the local community. The aim is to develop and implement a model which can then be replicated in other districts throughout the state.

The project will identify and support community leaders who will be key to delivering the awareness programme, which will highlight the illegality of dedications and explain the various government health and education programmes that are available. In addition, DFN will aim to prevent the dedication of young girls as Joginis through education and information, as well as taking legal action where necessary.

Building relationships with the local communities and gaining the trust of the women and of village leaders, will enable DFN to achieve more than previous attempts to address the issue. At the same time, DFN hopes that through this activity, the state authorities will realise the extent of the problem.

[community transformation]

Telling people to stop the practice is not enough. This is why community transformation projects are key to the approach. The opportunity for girls to be given a quality education in one of DFN’s schools will mean that they gain skills and knowledge to provide them with much better employment prospects. This helps them to break out of the cycle of poverty and exploitation. In addition, as we refine and develop the programme during the pilot year, we will also be assessing the viability for introducing our economic development initiatives into these communities in the future.

[help us help them]

Find out how you can help make this happen. You can be part of this exciting initiative in the early developmental stages, helping us make a real difference in hundreds of girls’ lives as we bring them freedom, hope and justice.

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