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Triveni Acharya
If the truest measure of a progressive society is how safe its womenfolk are, then it is plainly evident that we have a long way to go in this regard, with countless social issues affecting women still prevalent in India. However, the courage of the women who actively reject and openly resist this injustice is a powerful force that can eradicate these social ills once and for all.
Triveni Acharya, the President and Co-Founder of Rescue Foundation, is one such woman who sets a shining example for society. Her foundation rescues trafficked girls across India, enabling them to reclaim their freedom and to live the lives they have always dreamed of. In a Q and A session, Triveni elaborates on the work that Rescue Foundation is doing, and how the funds raised in collaboration with online donation platform GiveIndia were a godsend in the wake of the pandemic.
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Q.1) Tell us a little bit about the story of the Rescue Foundation.
The seeds for the inception of Rescue Foundation were sown when I encountered a little girl in Mumbai’s Kamathipura red-light district. The child was all alone, and seemed lost, so I approached her and asked if there was any way in which we could help her. Her response, however, shook me to the core. The girl told me that she was from Nepal, and had been forced into sex work. As this terrible reality sunk in, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. “What would I do if these girls were my own daughters?” I knew I had to do everything in my power to save them from this horror and give them the life they deserved. To do this, along with my husband, Balkrishna Acharya, we probed deeper into the issue and understood the extent of the problem, after which we began to collaborate with social workers and the police for rescue missions. As we rescued more and more girls, we also felt the need to rehabilitate them and give them a safe and secure home, and thus, the Rescue Foundation was born.
Q.2) How has the Rescue Foundation changed the lives of women who were victims of trafficking?
As part of our rescue missions, we first investigate, working closely with the police and government agencies to determine where trafficked victims are often kept under detention, and then carry out the rescue operation. After this, we bring the girls to our shelter home, and provide them with legal support and counselling, while helping them realize their full potential with vocational training, and taking care of their basic needs, including food, psychological support and education. Some survivors are women who are pregnant or HIV positive, and we ensure that all of their healthcare needs are met. We also facilitate the repatriation of rescued sex trafficking survivors to their families, who are sometimes as far away as Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailan, and even Uzbekistan.
Q.3) How many girls has the foundation rescued?
With our collective effort, we have rescued over 5,000 sex trafficking victims in various parts of the country in the past 20 years. Currently, we have 235 women and children in our homes, and hope to open our doors to more girls in need.
Q.4) How will the fundraiser on GiveIndia’s website help further Rescue
Foundation’s mission?
Through our four care homes in Maharashtra and Delhi, we hope to keep accommodating as many survivors as we can and give them all a chance to live a better, happier life. The generosity and kindness of donors on GiveIndia’s platform have helped us raise over 1 crore rupees in a short span of time, and this outpouring of funds will help us expand the facilities at the care homes and overcome one of the biggest obstacles to our work- the lack of financial support.
Q.5) What are some of the major risks associated with the noble work that Rescue Foundation is doing?
There are several risks involved in our work, one of them being the high chances of being mobbed or attacked. In the past our teams have faced violent situations which is why it is vital to have strong police support while conducting rescue operations and is why we work very closely with the authorities. Rescue operations often take us to faraway places, my husband lost his life in a car accident while returning from one.
Q.6) How did the pandemic affect rescue missions?
The number of girls who are trafficked each year continues to climb, and last year, despite the pandemic, it hit a three-year high. This shocking statistic only fuelled our resolve to help all the young girls out there who need to be rescued, and we kept up our rescue missions even during the pandemic.
Q.7) What does the future hold for Rescue Foundation?
After securing the freedom and safety of the girls, we help them find their families and bring them home. If their families refuse to take them in, they are welcomed into our care homes or we help connect them with partner organizations in their communities. They are also taught income-generating skills like tailoring, embroidery and vocational training to sustain themselves once they have fully recovered and are ready to rebuild their own lives, see their hopes take flight and make their dreams come true.
Q.8) How do you think the roots of an evil as prevalent as sex trafficking can be weeded from society?
If there is one thing our work has revealed to us, it is that the roots of this illegal network run deep, and can impact the lives of girls as young as 8-12 years old. These little girls are usually kidnapped, or lured away from their homes in poorer states and sold into prostitution in brothels located in big cities. The power of a united collective, from individuals who donate to charities that work to rescue these women, to the police and social workers, can prove to be a powerful force in the battle against this prevalent evil. As for us, we will keep fighting this battle until the dawning of a day when not one girl will need to be rescued, and India is freed from the shackles of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
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