Our refuge shelters play an important role both in the protection and care of trafficking survivors and also in prevention strategies for those most vulnerable to trafficking.

Currently we give shelter to:

• Girls who have been rescued from inter-state trafficking
• Girls who have been brought up in brothel areas and who are particularly at risk of following their mother into the sex trade
• Daughters of joginis, who are at risk of following in their mothers’ footsteps, and whose mothers have requested our help in prevention strategies
• Dalits who have suffered physical abuse as a result of their caste

[Prevention]

Prevention strategies focus on helping women and girls develop skills and knowledge that will help lift them out of the cycle of poverty, discrimination and exploitation which makes them particularly vulnerable to human trafficking and slavery. At the same time, they live in the safety and security of  our accommodation, cared for by social workers and volunteers. Children have access to our schools, and adults to our healthcare and economic development schemes.

Find out more about about: Pratigya Children's Refuge Shelter

[Care and protection]

For survivors of trafficking, there is a need for counselling in addition to the care and safety they receive in our refuges. They can also access our healthcare and economic development programme. One of our refuges is linked to a vocational training centre which helps to develop skills to give improved prospects of employment and income generation.

A major concern for trafficking survivors is the risk of being re-trafficked. Traffickers, pimps, and ‘employers’ are keen to get back the people who have been earning money for them; the emotional vulnerability and ‘victim’ mentality, along with the harsh realities of poverty, are powerful forces in the minds of those who find it difficult to see another option to the life which they have become used to. Our programmes address this through their emphasis on developing self-esteem and the ability to become economically self-sufficient.

[Development]

Because we are still in the early days in our anti-trafficking work, our refuge shelters are in various stages of development,. Their location is protected to ensure the safety and security of survivors and the vulnerable. Two are in Karnataka, one in Andhra Pradesh, and one in New Delhi in order to address the issues of ritualised prostitution and of trafficking from NE India to the capital.

You can support the work of our refuge shelters by donating through our Help Them Help Themselves scheme.