TRIVENI ACHARYA
Rescuing Lives from Hell to Humanity
Sarasvatichandra Acharya
It was a scary night!
Few persons were heading to an infamous den of red light area of the city. A middle age woman was leading all of them. They were escorted by armed police… Reaching closer to the target, she briefed her team members and suddenly they rushed in a building breaking the barriers. Each one of them knew their role and had adequate experience of crisis management. Soon they found a small dark cell which was locked from outside! Before the drunken host could understand anything, two members of the team managed to open the entry door of the small dark cell in presence of gazetted officer…. What they saw inside was shocking!!
Using torch light, cops found 4 little girls, traumatized and fearful!!! Their eyes were frightened.
The girls were persuaded in their mother tongue and conveyed that they are no more a sex slaves. Rescued girls were advised to take their belongings and also to collect all proofs that can put her handler behind bars.
The operation completed in almost half an hour. The incident appeared in next day’s newspapers,
“4 minor girls saved from prostitution racket:
3 Rescued girls are from Bangladesh & Nepal”
***
Weather it is PUNE, MUMBAI or Delhi; story remains the same.
One may forget the headlines next day, but its daily routine for Triveni Acharya…. She is the crusader against sex slavery.
Her name sounds deterrent to human trafficking smugglers.
She is working till late in nights and her sleepless nights save many lives.
Triveni and her organization Rescue Foundation have saved more than five thousand girls from brothels so far, most of them are minors.
Triveni’s adventures are famous across the borders as she has saved number of daughters of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Uzbekistan! She has developed her solid network of allies and informers in a professional way that even police often takes her help to find missing minor girls!!
Triveni Acharya was not alone in her fight against social evils, her late husband Mr Balkrishna Acharya was her stronghold in her unending fight. However she lost him in 2005 in a fatal car accident. His death is still a mystery!
At that time Triveni was a working journalist with a very reputed newspaper in Mumbai, Death of Balkrishna was a challenge of existence for Rescue Foundation and its humanitarian activities, the foundation that both had established with the aim to see a trafficking free society, where all girls feel safe and free…
At very crucial point of time, Mrs. Triveni Balkrishna Acharya made the most important decision of her life to dedicate herself for betterment of needy children and girls. She took over the charge of Rescue Foundation and accelerated the drive to save lives.
Rescue Foundation is non-profit, government recognized and registered NGO working for rescue, rehabilitation and repatriation of victims of human trafficking taken from different parts of India, Nepal & Bangladesh and then sold for forced prostitution.
After continuous service over a period of a decade, the foundation has achieved the organizational capabilities and experience to fulfill duties to this most neglected segment of our society under guidance of Triveni.
Instead of being an individual as one man army, Triveni institutionalized the idea and set up organizational structure.
She makes sure that women’s human rights are respected, protected and guaranteed. She rescues, rehabilitates and repatriates trafficked girls and children.
Triveni was revolutionary since childhood and she always struggled against unjust & anti-social practices. She born in Kutch and witnessed the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Then her family migrated to Jamnagar. After wedding army man Mr Balkrishna Acharya, she landed Mumbai. She did journalism and mass communication course and resumed job in Gujarat Samachar. Later she joined Mumbai Samachar with senior position. During her career as Reporter, she filed many front page stories. One of them was sting operation of wide spread corruption administered by RPF personnel in trains where regular extortion were collected from non-reserve category passengers. Her story had a great impact and Railway headquarter had to initiate inquiry followed by stringent actions.
While working as journalist, she came across the humble faces of Unfortunate girls who were going through hell in the red light district of Kamatipura in Mumbai and she risked her life to rescue them. In 1995, she saw a small Nepali girl was crying pathetically in a narrow dark room, crying to be rescued from the inhuman trade of forced prostitution. That night she could not sleep. From next day, she almost lost her sleep.. Her soul was shaken. On one side she was surrounded by
responsibility to family, while on the other side a deep rooted desire for changing the fate of these innocent girls to kindle hope of integrating with respectable society. She courageously decided to start a novena path from that day onwards. A distinct change came over her. It looked as if she has started a part time honorary job in the infamous red light area of Mumbai. Even though there was a lack of finance to continue rescue activities, the heart breaking cries of these thousands of girls made her to pursue her resolution strongly. Luckily she got the support from Nepal. This was the beginning in making efforts in a organized way. For the first time in India, police was successfully persuaded by an NGO to carry out rescue operation. She and her husband then realized that he can achieve better results by organizing the rescue operations under an official, government recognized NGO. Thus he established Rescue Foundation in the year of 2000.
Being a courageous & sympathetic lady, Triveni has succeeded in her assignment as President with flying colours. She has been honored 'Woman of
Peace Award' bv Women's Peace Power Foundation, Florida, U.S.A.
She is felicitated by a prestigious 'Stree Shakti Award' from Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. Currently Rescue Foundation is managed by a staff of more than 50 people which work as a team.
Rescue Foundation is involved in multifarious activities for rescuing, rehabilitating, reintegrating and repatriating the unfortunate, underprivileged girls
and children from hell to human society. The activities are spread over a wide range as under, starting from Investigation & Rescue to Repatriation & Weddings of rescued girls…
The Rescue Foundation works in a systematic manner.
As First step, Investigation & verification of girls and children made; for whom missing complaints are received. Missing complaints are received either from the parents or from other NGOs and it is very necessary to study the case before scheduling the rescue raid. This also involves careful in-brothel counseling.
Volunteers of Rescue Foundation keep vigil in sensitive areas and generate inputs as soon they find any suspected girl. Team members of the Foundation make detailed investigation about presence of minor girls
in a brothel and after verification, a raid is conducted for her rescue.
The rescue team accompanied by police, raid the brothel in late evening or night and also rescue the major girls who are willing to be rescued along with all the minor girls present in that brothel. This is a very risky operation. Often the girls are forcibly kept in hidden cells, constructed in the walls or ceilings of brothels. The team trained by Triveni herself is experienced in locating such hidden cells. They break such cells and take them out from unbearable conditions where half a dozen girls are forcibly held in a room small as bathroom!
3. Rescue Foundation has successfully rescued many girls & children from brothels, hotels, private apartments and airports.
4. After rescue, the girls are admitted to Protective Homes, as per the orders from honorable magistrate. Rescue Foundation provide them safe custody. Shelter Homes are guarded by armed security personnel and the living facilities at all our Homes are very comfortable. The girls receive Care and Protection like a family..
The first step after admission of rescued girls in any of three Protective Homes is Medical examination. The Doctor who examines them and she is taken to hospital for 'Age Verification'.
Girls who are suffering with any illness are given consultation and medicines. Almost all girls suffer from 'sexually transmitted diseases' because these rescued girls were abused in many ways. Therefore Complete health check-up, including HIV / AIDS test is conducted and her medical treatment starts accordingly.
Those who are suffering from HIV are given special consultation. During the medical check-up, Some of the girls are found pregnant and they need special care.. Rescue Foundation bears all medical expenditure for abortions and deliveries, hospitalization and operations.
Their well being depends on the environment in which they stay. Due to their traumatic depression coupled with their HIV status, they develop suicidal tendencies.
Protective Homes of Rescue Foundation are
Accredited by Government of Maharashtra, India; AND
Women and Child Development Board, Mumbai, INDIA.
Punishing the anti-social elements by legal process can create a strong deterrent effect to the crime of Human Trafficking. Foundation files suits in the court of law against the brothel keepers who have subjected these girls to mental and physical torture in the brothels for forcing them to prostitution. This also involves legal counseling, training the girls for court procedures by conducting mock trials and producing them as witnesses in the court.
A dedicated team provides Legal Aid to prosecute traffickers and brothel keepers and ensure punishment to these criminals. This is a long process that requires patience and continuous efforts.
Along with the legal battle in court rooms, Psycho-social counseling at every stage; helps these girls to regenerate faith in mankind. As these girls have undergone severe brainwash and mental torture, they have lost all faith. Intricate psycho-social counseling is necessary at every stage to rehabilitate them.
Gradually they prepare themselves to reintegrate them, into our society.
When the girls feel comfortable here, her training is started for income generating skills like tailoring, embroidery, crafts, vocational training, drawing, yoga, karate and many more... This is very essential for them because these girls belong to poor families and need skills to survive.
Vocational Training paves their path for new life.
Daily healthy nutrition includes breakfast; lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner are provided to everyone. Milk and fruits are provided to the ill and HIV patients.
Nutritious food with fruits and milk helps a weak body not to contract any disease and regenerate the will to live.
Triveni has started providing Formal Education to most of the girls at Thane Home from standard I to standard X.
Repatriation of the survived girls is an important task!
Foundation arranges Repatriation of victim to her family in India and with Foreign Government Agencies if the victim is trafficked from neighboring countries.
Girls are repatriated either to their homes directly or to NGOs.
Mainly when the legal procedures are over, Rescue Foundation contacts either their families or the respective non-profit organization in the vicinity of their homes and repatriates the girls.
The girls are accompanied by two staff members to either their homes or to the source NGO. While repatriating, Rescue Foundation provide them with the day-to-day necessities of life so that they are not inconvenienced during the journey and immediately on reaching the destination. Girls that cannot be repatriated due to one reason or other, are either absorbed by Rescue Foundation itself or by source NGO or Triveni finds suitable jobs for them in Mumbai with her contacts.
Triveni says, “It is well known that trafficking of girls & children from Nepal and Bangladesh to India and from the villages and interiors of various parts in India to a city like Mumbai has become a major problem.
Rescuing these girls from brothels where they are subjected to mental & physical torture to force them to be a prostitute is a task requiring tremendous courage and deep personal will.
Due to our wide experience of many years, Rescue Foundation has developed expertise in rescuing, rehabilitating and repatriating these girls.
Rescue Foundation is involved in rescuing victims of human trafficking who are sexually abused and are subjected to severe mental and physical torture for forcing them to prostitute. This is the most neglected field of work in India. Due to a rampant, deep rooted social stigma in our country, there are very few Organizations attempting to rescue girls from brothels. We are the biggest NGO in India involved in rescuing about more than 300 girls every year. We work in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and other cities of India.
Rescue Foundation is also the only NGO in India who assist the victims not only for their rescue but also for rehabilitation and repatriation.
Frankly speaking, there are no official statistics available for the victims of human trafficking but the practical observation and judgment clarifies that there are thousands of girls trafficked from Nepal, Bangladesh and other parts of India forced for prostitution.
Every year between 5000 & 7000 Nepali girls are trafficked into the red light districts in Indian Cities. Many of the girls are barely 9 or 10 years old. More than Two lacs (2,00,000) Nepali women & girls are already in Indian brothels. They are locked up for days, starved, beaten, brutally burned with cigarettes and gang raped until they learn how to serve up to 25 clients a day.
Trafficking women, girls and children is easy along the 1,740 miles long open border between India & Nepal. Trafficking of Nepalese girls is less risky than smuggling narcotics, drugs, electronic equipments or arms into India. Traffickers ferry girls without the hassle of paper work or threats of police checks.
Girls Bought for just 5,000 Nepali Rupees, have been known to be sold up to One lac (1,00,000) Indian Rupees in later transactions.
Girls cannot not leave the brothels until they have repaid their debt and when the time comes, they are sick, HIV infected or suffering from Tuberculosis and often have children of their own.
Our frequent raids over the years have resulted in arrest of many brothel keepers & traffickers. Our timely intervention has many times prevented attempts to force children into prostitution.”
Any concerned person can join Rescue Foundation as Volunteer from any part of India. Apart of that can help through direct donation or adopting a project is encouraged.
Triveni adds,
“ About 20% of the trafficked girls rescued by us are HIV positive. Most of the girls have other serious sexually transmitted diseases and infection. Since they are from very poor backgrounds and have been exploited in the brothels, they are easily susceptible to various illnesses leading to sexually transmitted diseases and other serious health complications.
These girls require special attention and care not just limited to their medication but providing them intricate psycho-social counseling at every stage and an overall positive attitude..
We are constructing a 'Recovery Care Centre' at our Complex in Boisar to provide expert Doctors consultation in HIV treatment and to provide them with intricate psycho-social counseling…
Their wellbeing depends on the environment in which they stay. Due to their traumatic depression coupled with their HIV status, they develop suicidal tendencies.
There is a need to provide these girls special care and nutritious food, rich with proteins and vitamins to improve their resistance. This is the reason the project has been planned at Boisar, outside the Mumbai city’s pollution and amidst a sprawling, green, serene atmosphere. Being in the lap of nature would ensure that they recover faster, both emotionally and physically. Also, the location is full of greenery and there is lot of open space to provide a relaxing environment to these girls.
Since the girls are very young, providing them such facilities in natural atmosphere will induce in them a will to live and thus helping them to recover. Apart from providing them medical facilities in the Recovery Care Centre, we shall ensure that they become emotionally strong and imbibe a lot of zeal and zest to live a happy and longer life ahead.
The Recovery Care Centre would also have "FUN SPACE", library with variety of books including moral stories and fairy tales for these young girls; indoor games, puzzles and drawings to bring out the hidden talent in them.
We shall also use different therapy techniques to treat them.
Gardening will help them not just to engage themselves creatively but would also provide them with farm-fresh vegetables and fruits for consumption as well as to create income for their immediate financial needs after repatriation & also for part sustainability of the organization.
Recovery Care Centre is primarily a concept of mental & physical care. The centre is established partly with Japanese support and partly with support from Netherlands. It will soon have the capacity to treat about 40 patients.
An in-house pathological laboratory is also established for providing testing facilities to the patients.
We are very thankful to all our Donors & Supporters who help us in our MISSION.”
It is truly said that when god cannot help his children, he sends an angel; after all working for humanity is also worship of God!!!!
