Victims of Human Trafficking, These Chhattisgarh Girls Are Now Proud Bakers
Reports suggest that close to 1500 cases of children who, as per a UNICEF survey, were trafficked from only five blocks in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district alone, from 2012 to 2014.
‘Beti Zindabad’ is a flagship project undertaken by the Chhattisgarh government. This unique initiative is helping survivors of human trafficking by setting up bakery units in Jashpur, in Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh is among top five states in the country, as far as figures for women and girl trafficking is concerned.
Reports suggest that close to 1500 cases of children who, as per a UNICEF survey, were trafficked from only five blocks in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district alone, from 2012 to 2014.
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The ten women survivors who run this unit have been subjected to trauma, trafficking, enslavement, and even physical abuse. While many organisations across the state are working on rescuing these girls, little is being done to rehabilitate them and help them live their life with dignity. Running this bakery unit has given their life a new meaning, and these women are embracing it well.
After spending some of the darkest days of their life, they were rescued from different parts of the country.
To prevent them from victims again, the idea of baking was introduced.
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Aged between 15 and 21, the girls were excited with a long list of orders for nearly 100 cakes to deliver during Christmas, as reported by Times of India.
As per a report in Nyooz, “Girls suffer from social stigma and their economic and social emancipation is crucial for their survival after their rescue. Breaking the pattern of obsolete skill development programmes, youths in Jashpur are being trained in hospitality, construction work, plastic engineering, fire safety and other occupational skills.
One of the girls in the group said that she was trafficked to Hyderabad a few years ago and was forced into domestic slavery. She was then left locked in a house by the owners with a mobile phone and very little to eat when they went on holidays.
“I was desperate to return home and totally exhausted. It was while watching a crime show on TV through which I learnt about a helpline number for children and I immediately called up for rescue. Though the traffickers were also arrested, I hadn’t brought anything back after nine years of slogging,” she narrated.
She was sexually and mentally assaulted, and her parents assumed she was dead as she wasn’t allowed to contact them all this while, as reported by the Times of India.
Here’s wishing this project the best and hope that many more survivors can live their life with dignity.
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