Battling Human Trafficking in Mumbai

Group 11:
Danny Thomas Nathan Paul Yasmin Sharifi Justin Sullivan Shreya Peramanki

2 Group 11: Battling Human Trafficking in Mumbai Human trafficking has become one of the most prolific and profitable criminal industries in the entire world. According to Child Line, human trafficking is the third largest profitable industry in the world. Based on information provided by International Crisis Aid, the Department of Justice recorded that there has been an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 victims of sex trafficking since 2001 and about 1.2 million children are being trafficked yearly from over 127 different countries. That means that every 2 minutes a child is being forced into slavery or hard labor. If you were to calculate the total market value of illicit human trafficking you would be astounded at the numbers as the industrys value is estimated at an excess of $32 billion dollars (International Crisis Aid, 2010). In Mumbai, India, the crisis of human trafficking is at an all time high. The general estimate is that there are currently 100,000 girls and women working in the sex industry in Mumbai, although some estimates put the figure as high as 200,000. Almost all of these women are not working out of choice, but rather were sold into the industry (often by a partner, family member or family friend). Our organization will be partnering with Bombay Teen Challenge in a joint venture to fight trafficking in Mumbai. Bombay Teen Challenges business model is centered on rescuing and providing care for human trafficking victims. They provide many of the same services that our organization aims to provide, including: healthcare, education, vocational training, and housing. They provide health care and psychological care for many of these victims that have suffered insurmountable pain and suffering both physically and mentally. These recently rescued victims also have need of housing, clothing, education, and vocational training. Without the proper education and vocational training, these hapless victims would not be able to

3 survive and sustain themselves with a stable job. Victims that come in will be provided with an education, vocational training, medical care, psychological care, and whatever other basic needs they may have. Our organizations ultimate goal is for these victims to leave our shelter, equipped with the skills for a healthy lifestyle with a stable job, and the ability to pursue his/her dreams. We will be based within Mumbais red light district, working closely with Bombay Teen Challenge to pool our resources together and fight to rescue these trafficked victims. Now we will turn our attention to the different services that our not-for-profit organization will offer. Our main goal in battling sex trafficking is to offer support to those who have been victimized by this criminal industry. Here at our shelter, we will offer vocational training, education, and housing to the victims that we come across. In addition we also plan to teach music to these victims as a means to enhance other aspects of their lives. When providing vocational training, we believe that by teaching men and women simple craft techniques along with other technical skills, we are not only empowering these men and women but also boosting their self-confidence allowing them to progress in their rehabilitation. We also believe that an education is an important tool in providing the best life for trafficking victims. Many children that are victims of human trafficking simply cannot compete academically in a normal education system because they have been denied a basic education. At our shelter, we want to ensure that we provide the best possible education to these victims to give them the best chance at a great start in their new lives. We understand that recently rescued victims are in need of shelter and medical care, and this where we will move to set up housing for them and provide medical treatment to those suffering from various illnesses. Many of the victims

4 have serious diseases including different types of sexually transmitted diseases. Our medical staff, which will consist of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals, visit the homes provided to the victims, and they perform weekly check ups to make sure that the victims are alive and well. We realize that there are a number of challenges that face us in setting up this business. Two issues specifically present the most concern. Using the CAGE analysis, we determined that the greatest challenges that our organization will have to overcome are the geographic distance and administrative distance. Mumbais physical distance from the United States creates issues, specifically concerning the challenge of compiling the necessary material resources needed to set up our shelter in Mumbai. In order to mitigate the problem posed by this issue, we will partner with Bombay teen challenge and use their resources and experts to gather the necessary materials to build and maintain our shelters. We will provide Bombay teen challenge with extra capital raised from our multiple charity events, galas, 5K races, and other types of fundraisers. Our shelter will be located within the same red light district as Bombay Teen Challenges shelter. This will allow us to pool our resources efficiently and effectively. The pooling of these resources and the established presence of our organizations will create a powerful source of relief for the plethora of victims located in the vicinity. Administrative distance is also another major concern primarily due to the vast amount of corruption that plagues the region of Bombay, specifically Mumbai. The various criminal organizations in the region have very powerful influences over the region, making any attempt to stifle their most profitable industry, a highly dangerous undertaking. This will make it very hard on the people that must fill the administrative positions that are essential to running our

5 organization. We must ensure that those we entrust with running the daily operations are people that will not be swayed by the variety of external pressures that they will face. We will look to find those individuals truly passionate about our cause. Many of these individuals that we intend to hire should familiar with the atrocities that human beings suffer at the hands of traffickers. Some may even share the same background as the victims that we rescue. This will ensure that our employees will be trustworthy, tenacious, and highly motivated to fight for the freedom of these embattled victims. These geographic and administrative issues may prove a considerable challenge, but we believe that they will not be able to prevent us from providing relief to the victims of human trafficking within the red light district in Mumbai. Sani knows what it is like to be trapped, literally trapped, in darkness. Sani was trafficked and sold to a brothel in Mumbai's massive red-light district, where she was sold to men and raped, night after night. She was hidden behind locked doors and in secret compartments where she wouldn't be found unless she was "needed." But earlier this year, IJM (International Justice Mission) helped rescue Sani from the nightmare. And just three months later, Sani helped rescue other girls who had been trapped just like her. With extraordinary courage, Sani led a team of IJM staff and police back into the darkness where she herself had once been hidden. "Just like your eyes take time to adjust to light after being in a very dark room, it takes time to heal even when you are set free. We'll keep walking with Sani and these other girls to make sure they stay in the light. Our vision is to rescue thousands like Sani and provide with them same opportunities that men and women have. We want the victims to leave our organization with the skills necessary for a healthy lifestyle and the ability to purse their dreams.

6 Works Cited "Bombay Teen Challenge." Bombay Teen Challenge RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://bombayteenchallenge.org/>. "Human Trafficking Statistics." Havocscope Black Market RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. <http://www.havocscope.com/tag/human-trafficking/>. "IJM News." International Justice Mission |. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.ijm.org/news>. "Menu." Taking Up Space. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://gemmasampson.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/facts-and-figures-on-the-sexindustry-in-mumbai/>.