Campaign underway to stop Dalit girls being sold for sex
A Dalit Freedom Network Jogini Prevention to prevent Dalit girls being dedicated as Joginis and used for sex is up and running! The programme is being funded through DFN UK’s Break the Chains.
Awareness Campaign
The 12-month pilot began in earnest at the end of January, with an ‘awareness camp’ to 50,000 people attending a religious festival in rural Andhra Pradesh. Traditionally, the Jatara festival is where young Dalit girls are dedicated to the goddess Yellama, little realising the lifetime of ritualised prostitution that will be forced upon them once they reach puberty. Indian staff from our Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) worked with former Joginis, handing out leaflets, speaking to crowds through loudspeakers, and striking up conversations to raise awareness about the Jogini system. This included information about the law prohibiting Jogini dedications, consequences for girls who are dedicated, and the various government schemes that are available to help Joginis leave the system.
Such camps will be supported by raising awareness door-to-door and through meetings in one hundred villages in a district where it is believed that, on average, every other day another girl is dedicated as a Jogini. Working with community leaders and committee members representing some 5000 Joginis, the aim is to train a leader in all one hundred villages who will organise activities to stop more girls being dedicated, and to fight for their right to various benefits brought in by legislation.
Legal Action
One of the problems facing the campaign is that the 1988 legislation prohibiting Jogini dedications is little known even by the police who are supposed to enforce it. The rules required to enable the law to function still have not been framed. Our AHTU has taken legal action in the courts in the form of Public Interest Litigation to force the state government to put in place those rules, and to set up a commission to examine every aspect of the Jogini system and the effectiveness of legislation and benefit schemes.
Networking Anti-Trafficking NGOs and Activists
Another key aspect of the programme is regular network meetings organised by the AHTU with over one hundred delegates attended the February conference in Hyderabad. Activists and NGO officers were joined by senior police and state government officials. The meeting was addressed by Kalpana Nayak, a superintendent in the women’s protection cell of the Indian Police Service, who briefed delegates on the progress being made to put in place anti-trafficking measures in Andhra Pradesh. Various activists and NGOs explained about their work and their concerns. This included the AHTU’s lawyer who reported on our programme to address the Jogini system, inviting others to partner with us. The meeting concluded with the drawing up of an action plan to move forward anti-trafficking efforts in the state.
The prevention and awareness programme is made possible through the dedication of our Indian colleagues and by generous donations from DFN’s supporters in the UK. The network meeting, legal action and awareness camp have all been funded by individual donations and through fundraising activities. It is hoped that businesses and charitable trusts will also contribute. Our target is to raise £50,000 this year.
Help us help them help themselves...
Would you help us to bring freedom, hope and justice to these Dalit girls and women who are most at risk of exploitation? You can make donations online through our Virgin Money Giving pages, by post to our finance office (see contact details at bottom of home page), or by text giving (simply text ‘JOGN33’ followed by the amount - £10, £5 or £3 – to 70070).
Latest News Articles
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Seven more Dalit girls freed from ritual sex slavery +
Over the last few months, Dalit Freedom Network has prevented the dedication of seven more Dalit girls as Joginis in the state of Andhra Pradesh, and dozens more are being helped to escape through economic empowerment programmes. Joginis are dedicated to a goddess from as young as the age of five, and when they reach puberty they are, in effect, sold for sex and condemned to a lifetime of ritual sex slavery. The seven girls freed range in age from 11 to 23. The eleven-year-old girl, named after the goddess, had in fact already been dedicated. After eight of her children had died, Yellamma’s mother believed that dedicating her youngest daughter would prevent any of her remaining children from dying. The family lived in extreme… Read More
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India commits to a world free of human trafficking +
In a bold statement to the UN General Assembly last week (14 May), Indian Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji announced that “India is firmly committed to a world free of human trafficking”. This marks a significant step forward for a country that took almost a decade before it ratified the UN Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, and that languished for six years on the Tier 2 Watchlist (signifying that they were in danger of being assessed as making no real effort to tackle human trafficking) in the US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report. In his speech Ambassador Mukerji welcomed the UN’s Global Plan of Action and the 2012 Global Report. “Not withstanding the information gaps that still persist, the findings of the report are… Read More
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Dalit population reaches 300 million in India +
Figures from the recently released 2011 census in India show that Dalits and Tribals total more than 300 million and now exceed a quarter of the national population. More than half of Dalits live in just five states - Uttar Pradesh (over one fifth of Dalits), West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In addition to the North East states, there are significant Tribal populations in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha (Orissa), Rajasthan and Gujurat. Dalits and Tribals – categorised as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes by the Indian government – both fall outside of India’s caste system. There appears to be a correlation between areas with high populations of Dalits and Tribals and hotspots for human trafficking and bonded labour, supporting the evidence that the vast majority… Read More
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Indian parliament approves tough new laws on human trafficking +
Both houses of the Indian parliament have now approved tough new laws on sexual violence against women, including human trafficking, in the aftermath of the gang-rape and subsequent death of a 23 year-old medical student in Delhi last December. Following protests on the streets of India and worldwide media coverage, a report by a committee led by former Chief Justice Verma recommended sweeping changes to Indian law and to rehabilitation procedures. The Indian President, Pranab Mukherjee, took up most of the legal recommendations in an emergency temporary law – Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2013 - on 3 February, however this had to be ratified by Parliament within 6 weeks. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2013 was passed by the Lok Sabha (lower house) on 19 March, and… Read More
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Delhi High Court criticises lax approach of police to human trafficking +
The High Court of Delhi expressed serious concerns over the casual approach taken by police in the Indian capital and in the state of Orissa (Odisha) over a case of human trafficking dating back to 2010. Dalit Freedom Network UK reported on the case and the action taken by Indian colleagues leading to the rescue of Sunita* from abusive domestic servitude. Sunita’s sister, Mina*, was trafficked from Orissa at the same time, but is still missing. Sunita and Mina (aged 15 and 18 when trafficked) were from a Tribal family, displaced by sectarian violence and living in extreme poverty. Like Dalits, Tribals (Adivasis) fall outside of India’s rigid caste system, and face discrimination, oppression and abuse. This along with the resulting poverty makes them very… Read More
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Get together to help free India's Dalits! +
With new Dalit Freedom Action Groups getting off the ground, and an increasing number of enquiries, there has never been a better time for starting an action group! If you think action groups are all about agendas, setting up a committee, endless meetings, open-ended commitment, then think again! Not only is it a bigger and better way of making an impact for Dalit Freedom, but there are lots of different approaches including one that’s bound to suit your personality and situation. Dalit Freedom Action Groups can come in all shapes and sizes, for example: Two or three people who meet up anyway, but occasionally plan an activity to raise awareness A network of people who you can call on to help with particular fundraising event… Read More
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Dalit women celebrate empowerment on International Women’s Day +
Every year in March, Dalit women in India gather to attend one of Dalit Freedom Network's International Women's Day celebrations. This year events are taking place in four different locations and each one is expected to attract hundreds of women. The festivities typically include speeches, dance performances, and awards for vocational training graduates. Women from our Self-Help (LAMP) Groups often arrive wearing matching saris, demonstrating the pride and solidarity they get from their participation in these Groups. These women, the majority of whom live in remote rural areas, deserve to be celebrated. Despite the innumerable obstacles stacked against them, including poverty, illiteracy, and discrimination, these women work tirelessly to provide for their families and to give their children a better future. It is one of… Read More
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ILO says much more needs to be done to tackle forced labour +
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is considering its next move to tackle forced labour following publication of a new global estimate of the scale of the problem which revealed that the problem was more pervasive than previous data suggested. Illegal profits from forced labour globally are estimated at $44 billion, while the broader social and economic costs in terms of impeding economic development and perpetuating poverty have yet to be determined. A Committee of Experts has identified nine key areas for discussion by the ILO governing body at its 317th Session starting today (6 March) with the intention of agreeing a new standard at the International Labour Conference in June 2014. According to the ILO 'Forced labour encompasses brick kiln workers trapped in a vicious… Read More
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How far will you go to help free India's Dalits? +
Have you been itching to do something that will make a difference for India’s Dalits, but not sure what? Are you fit and active? Then we have some great opportunities lined-up for supporters to do sponsored walks, runs or bike-rides. Ranging from 50k walks to 100k runs, or night-time bike rides, you can raise money for Dalit Freedom Network through a selection of actionchallenge events. Whether you do it on your own or as part of a team, all the money you raise for DFN UK will be used in our work to bring an end to the human trafficking and slavery of India’s Dalits. Are you up for the challenge? Do you want to make a real difference while experiencing the thrill of achieving?… Read More
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UN trafficking survey skewed by lack of data from India +
Child trafficking is on the increase according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the first of its biennial reports on global human trafficking published at the end of December 2012. Between 2007 and 2010, child trafficking rose from 20% to 27%, a trend described as ‘worrying’. Women account for 55-60% of trafficking victims, and together with girls make up three quarters of all those trafficked. Other trends evident in the report include the doubling of trafficking for forced labour over four years. UNODC claims that over a quarter of global trafficking is domestic, but Dalit Freedom Network UK argues that this is under-estimated because of lack of data from India. A spokesperson for DFN UK said, “While the report accurately… Read More
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