Prajwala by Sunitha Krishnan

The safety of girls & women  in our country is a growing concern.So many girls  & women go missing year after year.Their missing complaints if filed ,are simply closed shut.Many families are better off without the girls & women  as they are themselves poor .Brother,fathers,uncles,aunts,granddads,-all are involved in selling off girls & women.Many times,it is they who violate the girl and or the women & then sell them in the flesh trade.They are exploited sexually & tortured horrendously which leaves scars for life.Girls as young as three to four years old are being violated physically as also mentally .Today it is some female,& tomorrow it could be any one of us.That is why ,an urgent need, to become aware & then prevent such abuse of the most horrific kind.

People in high places are selling off girls & women for prostitution . This is illegal trafficking of humans.If & when  some fortunate ones are rescued,their family members refuse to take them back fearing wrath of the community,society etc.So ,they are left to fend for themselves.They  are then sucked into the same cesspool from which they were rescued.

Prajwala means eternal flame.Prajwala is housed in Hyderabad. Prajwala manages 17 schools in Hyderabad for  5000 children .Prajwala has rescued 2500 survivors.Nearly 1500 survivors were personally set free by Sunitha Krishnan herself.Prajwala coordinates rescue work among governments,NGOs & corporations. Her efforts in this regard has led to partnership between NGOs & companies like Amul,Taj Group of Hotels & Heritage hospitals.The rehabilitated women have found jobs in the aforesaid companies.Prajwala has forged ties with UN & other NGOs in setting up printing & furniture shops wherein nearly 300 survivors have found a fresh lease of life !

In this regard,Prajwala is doing exemplary work. Prajwala an NGO,  is co founded by Dr.Sunitha Krishnan. She is the face of Prajwala. Prajwala rescues girls & women who are sold off in the flesh trade. Prajwala gives them shelter & rehabilitates them..Prajwala trains rescued  girls & women by training them in crafts like carpentry housekeeping, masonry,printing & welding. Psychological care is also provided to the survivors to overcome the trauma of sexual abuse & torture.

Image courtesy :Wikipedia

Dr Sunitha Krishnan

Sunitha Krishnan is herself ,a survivor of gang rape which happened when she was barely 15 years old.She is well educated with a B.Sc.in Environmental Science,MSW in Psychiatric Social Work & Ph. D in Social Work.She is more than amply qualified for her pioneering work in this regard. Sunitha Krishnan has made the world take note of the scourge of flesh trade.She has been awarded many international & national awards for her pioneering work in this regard.She has been awarded the Perdita Huston International  Award for human rights-2007,Real Heroes award-2008,Vanitha Woman of the year-2009,Indiavision Person the year-2011,Global Leadership Award-2011,IRDS Safdar Hashmi Award 2012 for Human Rights,Stree Shakti Puraskar,Government of India ,etc.The UNODC -Real Heroes award for combating human trafficking has been conferred on Sunitha Krishnan in 2008.

Prajwala is doing a job, which we as a society and community, would just like to wish away.Hence, funds are extremely difficult to come by for such work though it is outstanding.Hence,I am doing my bit by writing about the awesome work that Sunitha Krishnan is doing by fighting against flesh trade which has brought & continues to bring untold misery to millions of women & children ,the world over .As someone rightly said ,"Progress is not wifi on every street .....progress is hen no thirteen year old will be sold on the streets."