Though there are many forms of human trafficking, the worst is trafficking humans for commercial sex. It shows absolute degradation of humanity and the saddest part is the stigma and ostracism that are attached to those who are trafficked for commercial sex. It calls for a serious mind and attitude shift among the people if these victims who have been forced into commercial sex have to be rehabilitated.
A human can be trafficked from the day he or she is born. This can be in the form of adoption, organ trade, labour, circus, beggary, domestic work, camel jockeying, and for commercial sex.
These startling revelations were made by Sunitha Krishnan, an anti-human trafficking activist and co-founder of ‘Prajwala’, an anti-trafficking organisation in Hyderabad which works in rehabilitating commercial sex workers and educating their children.
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Receiving the ‘Aakruthi Woman of the Year’ from Rotary Club of Coimbatore Aakruthi R.I. Dist. 3201, an all-women club, for her contribution to the cause she is involved in, she said she had so far rescued more than 4,600 women.
Lamenting on the stigma and ostracism that society attached to women who were forced into commercial sex, she said these were main barriers that made the forced sex workers choose to continue in the rut they lived in.
“The fear of not being accepted and made a part of the society is a big deterrent for them to come out of the life they lead. We get them arrested and put in jail. Once they are rescued there is no proper support system to enable them to lead a rehabilitated life,” she said.
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Ms. Krishnan made a clarion call for people to change their mental and attitudinal make up to accept these victims so that they feel accepted and start leading rehabilitated lives.
District Governor of R.I. Dist.3201 G. Viswanathan, Anusha R. Mahesh, President of ‘Aakruthi’, and Vocational Director of Rotary Club of Coimbatore R.I. Dist. 3201 E. Viswanathan, offered felicitations.