Prayer hall used as prostitution hub in Subbanna Palya

Bangalore: The women and narcotics squad of Central Crime Branch (CCB) police arrested two brothers for allegedly running a prostitution racket from a house in Subbanna Palya, near Banasawadi, on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Basavaraju alias John, 68, a resident of Subbannapalya, and his brother Krishnakumar, 42, a resident of Lingarajapuram. The police have also rescued three women from the house.

Basavaraju resided in the house, which also served as a prayer hall. Women from the neighbourhood and other areas of the city used to visit the house to pray.

Basavaraju trapped a few good-looking women, who came to attend prayer sessions, by offering them jobs.  The women believed in Basavaraju and used to stay in the house for a few days.

Basavaraju then arranged customers for the women and collected Rs 500- 1,000 from each client.  However, he never victimised women in the neighbourhood as he wanted to build a good image of himself in the area. The  house from where he ran the prostitution racket had three rooms. The police have seized Rs 550 in cash and two mobile phones.

A case has been registered in Banasawadi police station.  Industrialist accused of rape A 42-year-old woman has alleged that she was raped and cheated by an industrialist in Sadashivanagar.

The police said that Suta Bharathi (name changed) has filed a complaint against Anand Prabhu, proprietor of Prakash Beedi Industry.  She alleged that Prabhu, who had promised to marry her four years ago, did not keep his word.

The woman stated that she was raped by Prabhu several times. She also alleged that Prabhu sent goons, who threatened her to vacate the flat that was presented to her by the industrialist.

Prabhu wanted to give the flat to another girlfriend, Bharathi stated. The police have registered a case of cheating and rape.

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/BAN-prayer-hall-used-as-prostitution-hub-in-subbanna-palya-2567832.html

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‘The fabric of freedom’

International Princess Project to hold its annual benefit gala in Huntington Beach on Saturday. The nonprofit aims to help free Indian women from prostitution.

By Imran Vittachi

September 21, 2011 | 3:51 p.m.

The International Princess Project headquarters near John Wayne Ai

‘The fabric of freedom’

rport stocks thousands of pairs of brilliantly-colored, batik-style drawstring pants known as PUNJAMMIES. This trademarked line of textile wear with an Indian twist targets Western women as a market, including the fashion-minded yoga set, through a word play on “pajamas.”

Women in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and elsewhere in Orange County now promote IPP‘s mission by hosting so-called “PUNJAMMY Parties” at their homes — all for a good cause, freeing women from the international sex trade.The cotton pajamas bottoms are made by hand and push-pedal sewing machines operated by women in India, who are trying to put back together the seams of their own lives tattered by coercion into prostitution.

Since the mid-2000s, the International Princess Project, a faith-based nonprofit, has worked to support Indian women by rescuing them from the underworld of the forced sex trade and by providing them with fair trade wages, housing and health care and helping them build up micro-enterprises through the fabrication of PUNJAMMIES, IPP leaders said.

On Saturday night at the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach, the nonprofit will host the Fabric of Freedom Gala, its annual benefit fundraiser.”We want to be change agents in the world of forced prostitution or human trafficking …,” said Heather Motichko, one of the International Princess Project’s board members and co-chairwoman of this year’s gala. “The thread of hope, dignity and purpose becomes the fabric of freedom.”

The benefit is sold out. Nonetheless, the organization, which mainly sells its product via its website and through aforementioned PUNJAMMY Parties, is always looking for donors as well as prospective vendors and retailers for its product. IPP also relies on private donations and grants from nonprofits, such as the Newport Beach-based Tarsadia Foundation, started by a local Indian-American family.

“We are really hoping for a good amount of money to be raised,” said Executive Director Julie Wood. “We are growing and want to be able to continue to grow.”

Women and girls in developing countries, including India, are believed to be caught up in human trafficking, and many of them are forced into, or even enslaved, by the sex trade, according to women’s rights experts and advocacy groups such as IPP.”A common characteristic of bonded labor is the use of physical and, in many instances, sexual violence — including rape — as coercive tools, in addition to debt, to maintain these victims’ labor,” the U.S. State Department‘s 2011 “Trafficking in Persons Report” said. “Ninety percent of trafficking in India is internal, and those from India’s most disadvantaged social economic strata, including the lowest castes, are particularly vulnerable to forced or bonded labor and sex trafficking.”

Tucked in the Copper Tree Business Park on Kalmus Drive in Costa Mesa, the IPP’s offices currently stocks about 6,500 pairs of these block pattern-printed PUNJAMMIES.

In 2010, the IPP sold 3,803 pairs at $35 each. So far this year, the nonprofit has sold 1,954 PUNJAMMIES, and hopes to clear the stock during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Because the number of women rescued from the Indian forced sex trade has swollen to 155, the IPP needs more money to be able to increase its staff, Wood said.

Through partnerships with support groups in India, the International Princess Project cares for the 155 women, who have come out of forced prostitution and now live and work at IPP’s three care centers in India, where they produce the PUNJAMMIES.

The local effort was started by Newport Mesa Church in Costa Mesa but volunteers come from a variety of religious backgrounds.

The International Princess Project sustains its Indian operations by paying for material acquisition costs upfront, IPP representatives said. The proceeds from PUNJAMMY sales go back to the Indian women, then the IPP and its partner groups in India split the profits for their overhead costs.

“They are doing the kind of work that we need to see more often,” said Sandra Morgan, director of the Global Center for Women & Justice at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa who previously served as administrator of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force referring to the IPP.

“If we don’t give people a way to make a living … they can become re-victimized,” she added. “The importance of creating jobs [for them] cannot be understated.”

imran.vittachi@latimes.com

Twitter: @ImranVittachi

http://www.dailypilot.com/entertainment/tn-hbi-0922-fabric-20110921,0,5388794.story

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SHAKTI VAHINI Welcomes Ratification of UN Conventions against Transnational Organised Crime and Corruption By the Indian Government

Image via Wikipedia

HUMAN TRAFFICKING NEWS IS A SHAKTI VAHINI – NATIONAL LEGAL RESEARCH DESK INITIATIVE

India has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its three protocols and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime is the main international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime. It recognizes the need to foster and enhance close international cooperation in order to tackle those problems. The convention is further supplemented by three Protocols, which target specific areas and manifestations of organized crime namely Protocols to combat (1) trafficking in persons (2) migrant smuggling and (3) illicit trafficking in firearms.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption complements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. The Convention introduces a comprehensive set of standards, measures and rules that all countries can apply in order to strengthen their legal and regulatory regimes to fight corruption. The Convention enumerates in detail the measures to prevent corruption, including the application of prevention policies and practices, the establishment of bodies for that purpose, the application of codes of conduct for public servants, and public procurement. It recommends promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public finances and in the private sector, with tougher accounting and auditing standards. Measures to prevent money-laundering are also provided for, together with measures to secure the independence of the judiciary, public reporting and participation of society are encouraged as preventive measures. The Convention recommends the State Parties to adopt such legislative and other measures as may be necessary to establish a whole series of criminal offences. These are:

• Corruption of national or foreign public officials and officials of public international organizations;

• embezzlement, misappropriation or other diversion by a public official of any public or private property;

• trading in influence;

• abuse of functions and illicit enrichment.

In the private sector, the Convention calls for the creation of offences of embezzlement and corruption. There are other offences relating to laundering the proceeds of crime, handling stolen property, obstructing the administration of justice, and participating in and attempting embezzlement or corruption.

 This also implies that  Government of India formally adopting definition of Human Trafficking which is :“Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

The UN Protocol makes Human Trafficking and Smuggling a organised crime and call upon states to provide victim support , victim repatriation , witness support and protection , Joint Investigations between member nations  etc. It specially calls upon nations to ensure  implementing measures to provide for the physical, psychological and social recovery of victims of trafficking in persons, including, in appropriate cases, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society, and, in particular, the provision of: (a) Appropriate housing; (b) Counselling and information, in particular as regards their legal rights, in a language that the victims of trafficking in persons can understand; (c) Medical, psychological and material assistance; and (d) Employment, educational and training opportunities. It mandates nations to  ensure that take into account the age, gender and special needs of victims of trafficking in persons, in particular the special needs of children, including appropriate housing, education and care.

It also provides for nations to provide for the physical safety of victims of trafficking in persons while they are within its territory and  ensure that its domestic legal system contains measures that offer  victims of trafficking in persons the possibility of obtaining compensation for damage suffered.

It takes a commitment from nations that they shall establish comprehensive policies, programmes and other measures inter alia  to prevent and combat trafficking in persons; and (b) to protect victims of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, from revictimization. States Parties shall endeavour to undertake measures such as research, information and mass media campaigns and social and economic initiatives to prevent and combat trafficking in persons. Policies, programmes and other measures established in accordance with this article shall, as appropriate, include cooperation with non-governmental organizations, other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society.States Parties shall take or strengthen measures, including through bilateral or multilateral cooperation, to alleviate the factors that make persons, especially women and children, vulnerable to trafficking, such as poverty, underdevelopment and lack of equal opportunity. States Parties shall adopt or strengthen legislative or other measures, such as educational, social or cultural measures, including through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, to discourage the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation of persons, especially women and children, that leads to trafficking.

 It mandates that nations shall, as appropriate, cooperate with one another by exchanging information, in accordance with their domestic law, to enable them to determine: (a) whether individuals crossing or attempting to cross an international border with travel documents belonging to other persons or without travel documents are perpetrators or victims of trafficking in persons; the types of travel document that individuals have used or attempted to use to cross an international border for the purpose of trafficking in persons; and the means and methods used by organized criminal groups for the purpose of trafficking in persons, including the recruitment and transportation of victims, routes and links between and among individuals and groups engaged in such trafficking, and possible measures for detecting them.

It ensures that nations  shall provide or strengthen training for law enforcement, immigration and other relevant officials in the prevention of trafficking in persons. The training should focus on methods used in preventing such trafficking, prosecuting the traffickers and protecting the rights of the victims, including protecting the victims from the traffickers. The training should also take into account the need to consider human rights and child- and gender-sensitive issues and it should encourage cooperation with nongovernmental organizations, other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society.

Reacting to the news Ravi Kant Advocate Supreme Court of India and President Shakti Vahini said that the ratification  by India of the UN Protocol is a big step for the protection of rights of victims of Human Trafficking and Smuggling. This will certainly lead to stricter laws on Human Trafficking in India. This is also a step that Government of India has shown its commitment to fight Human Trafficking and Smuggling.

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2 get 7 yrs’ RI for forcing minors into flesh trade

NATIONAL LEGAL RESEARCH DESK – A SHAKTI VAHINI RESEARCH INITIATIVE

TIMES OF INDIA NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI: A sessions court on Friday sentenced two women to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for forcing minors into prostitution, under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA). The judgment is landmark owing to the conviction, which is a rarity in most cases, and the quantum of punishment. “We had lost hope as the accused were earlier acquitted in a similar case. But this conviction is significant for all of us. We have rehabilitated all the girls and they are now back with their families,” said Seema Adate, watching advocate and member of NGO Rescue Foundation, the complainant in the case.

The accused, Dimple Tamang and Sonu Tamang, were arrested in February 2009 following a complaint by Rescue Foundation. Dimple (35) owned the brothel and Sonu, her assistant, used to arrange for customers. All the girls who were forced into flesh trade were under 14 years of age. A total of 11 witnesses were examined and three rescued girls testified against Dimple and Sonu.

“We got a tip-off from our source that the women were running a brothel in Bhandup,” Adate said. The NGO then approached the Social Service Branch (SSB) of Mumbai police. The cops laid a trap to nab the women. They arranged for a man to pose as a customer. On February 29, 2009, the SSB personnel along with members of the Rescue Foundation and a panch witness went to the spot at Sachdev Chawl, Sonapur Galli in Bhandup. The SSB gave the bogus customer Rs 200, which was to be paid to the brothel owner. The police waited outside while the bogus customer and the panch witness went into the brothel.

Dimple then presented a minor girl to the bogus customer took the money. He was sent with the girl to a room. At 8.55pm, on receiving a signal from the panch witness, the police went into the premises and nabbed Dimple and Sonu. During the raid, the police found nine minors in another room. The police also seized 77 packets of condoms from a wooden cupboard, along with Rs 5.46 lakh in cash and gold jewellery. Condom packets were also found under the pillow of the bed where the bogus customer was sitting with the minor girl. When Dimple was searched, the Rs 200 were found on her person along with Rs 1,000.

The statements of all 10 girls corroborated the fact that Dimple was the owner of the brothel and Sonu her aide. “These girls were brought to the city from Nepal on the pretext of getting them jobs as domestic helps,” Adate said. Both Dimple and Sonu were out on bail since April 2009. Dimple, who was present in court with her newborn, cried on hearing the verdict.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-13/mumbai/29883988_1_brothel-owner-minor-girl-minors-into-flesh-trade

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Shakti Vahini Welcomes ratification of UN Conventions against Transnational Organised Crime and Corruption by Government of India

THE ARRESTED TRAFFICKER - CRIME BRANCH DELHI / CID WEST BENGAL / SHAKTI VAHINI JOINT OPERATION

EQUALITY INDIA NEWS / A SHAKTI VAHINI RESEARCH INITIATIVE

India has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its three protocols and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime is the main international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime. It recognizes the need to foster and enhance close international cooperation in order to tackle those problems. The convention is further supplemented by three Protocols, which target specific areas and manifestations of organized crime namely Protocols to combat (1) trafficking in persons (2) migrant smuggling and (3) illicit trafficking in firearms.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption complements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. The Convention introduces a comprehensive set of standards, measures and rules that all countries can apply in order to strengthen their legal and regulatory regimes to fight corruption. The Convention enumerates in detail the measures to prevent corruption, including the application of prevention policies and practices, the establishment of bodies for that purpose, the application of codes of conduct for public servants, and public procurement. It recommends promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public finances and in the private sector, with tougher accounting and auditing standards. Measures to prevent money-laundering are also provided for, together with measures to secure the independence of the judiciary, public reporting and participation of society are encouraged as preventive measures. The Convention recommends the State Parties to adopt such legislative and other measures as may be necessary to establish a whole series of criminal offences. These are:

• Corruption of national or foreign public officials and officials of public international organizations;

• embezzlement, misappropriation or other diversion by a public official of any public or private property;

• trading in influence;

• abuse of functions and illicit enrichment.

In the private sector, the Convention calls for the creation of offences of embezzlement and corruption. There are other offences relating to laundering the proceeds of crime, handling stolen property, obstructing the administration of justice, and participating in and attempting embezzlement or corruption.

 This also implies that  Government of India formally adopting definition of Human Trafficking which is :“Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

The UN Protocol makes Human Trafficking and Smuggling a organised crime and call upon states to provide victim support , victim repatriation , witness support and protection , Joint Investigations between member nations  etc. It specially calls upon nations to ensure  implementing measures to provide for the physical, psychological and social recovery of victims of trafficking in persons, including, in appropriate cases, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society, and, in particular, the provision of: (a) Appropriate housing; (b) Counselling and information, in particular as regards their legal rights, in a language that the victims of trafficking in persons can understand; (c) Medical, psychological and material assistance; and (d) Employment, educational and training opportunities. It mandates nations to  ensure that take into account the age, gender and special needs of victims of trafficking in persons, in particular the special needs of children, including appropriate housing, education and care.

It also provides for nations to provide for the physical safety of victims of trafficking in persons while they are within its territory and  ensure that its domestic legal system contains measures that offer  victims of trafficking in persons the possibility of obtaining compensation for damage suffered.

It takes a commitment from nations that they shall establish comprehensive policies, programmes and other measures inter alia  to prevent and combat trafficking in persons; and (b) to protect victims of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, from revictimization. States Parties shall endeavour to undertake measures such as research, information and mass media campaigns and social and economic initiatives to prevent and combat trafficking in persons. Policies, programmes and other measures established in accordance with this article shall, as appropriate, include cooperation with non-governmental organizations, other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society.States Parties shall take or strengthen measures, including through bilateral or multilateral cooperation, to alleviate the factors that make persons, especially women and children, vulnerable to trafficking, such as poverty, underdevelopment and lack of equal opportunity. States Parties shall adopt or strengthen legislative or other measures, such as educational, social or cultural measures, including through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, to discourage the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation of persons, especially women and children, that leads to trafficking.

 It mandates that nations shall, as appropriate, cooperate with one another by exchanging information, in accordance with their domestic law, to enable them to determine: (a) whether individuals crossing or attempting to cross an international border with travel documents belonging to other persons or without travel documents are perpetrators or victims of trafficking in persons; the types of travel document that individuals have used or attempted to use to cross an international border for the purpose of trafficking in persons; and the means and methods used by organized criminal groups for the purpose of trafficking in persons, including the recruitment and transportation of victims, routes and links between and among individuals and groups engaged in such trafficking, and possible measures for detecting them.

Trafficking racket in East of Kailash busted, 3 arrested

It ensures that nations  shall provide or strengthen training for law enforcement, immigration and other relevant officials in the prevention of trafficking in persons. The training should focus on methods used in preventing such trafficking, prosecuting the traffickers and protecting the rights of the victims, including protecting the victims from the traffickers. The training should also take into account the need to consider human rights and child- and gender-sensitive issues and it should encourage cooperation with nongovernmental organizations, other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society.

Reacting to the news Ravi Kant Advocate Supreme Court of India and President Shakti Vahini said that the ratification  by India of the UN Protocol is a big step for the protection of rights of victims of Human Trafficking and Smuggling. This will certainly lead to stricter laws on Human Trafficking in India. This is also a step that Government of India has shown its commitment to fight Human Trafficking and Smuggling.

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India: Community vigilance rescues Roshni

On the occasion of the Fifth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols, taking place from 18 to 22 October 2010 at UNODC Headquarters, Vienna, our Office is publishing a series of stories related to human trafficking. The following story about Roshni, a 32 year old survivor of human trafficking, is the second in the series.

The story of a survivor of human trafficking

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

For Nadim, a poor carpenter from West Bengal state, 6th October 2010 marked the end of a grueling search for his sister Roshni, who had been kidnapped by traffickers on 17th July 2010.

Sitting in a small hotel room in the crowded Paharganj area of New Delhi with his mother and uncle, Nadim recounts a shocking tale of horror and despair. Roshni, a 32 year old woman, lived with her family nearly 35 kilometers away from her brother. She is a mother of 6 children. Her husband is unwell and cannot work. As the sole earning member of her family, Roshni earned money by doing odd jobs in the village. Three of her children were studying and living in a missionary hostel in a town close to the capital city of Kolkata. Roshni would often travel by the local train to visit them. During her visits, she befriended a woman who sympathized with her financial condition and promised her a job in a hospital as an attendant.

“I was dead against my sister working anywhere,” says an angry Nadim. “I had told her that I would help her financially. On  18th  July I got a call from her saying that she had got a job and she would return after a week with 3500 rupees. I was furious on hearing this, but anyway waited for her return. When she did not come back, I did not know what to do. I filed complaints in the local police station, contacted various political figures, searched everywhere for her – but without any success” he says, showing all the papers he has meticulously filed over the past two months.

Roshni walks into the room as Nadim is talking, accompanied by a policewoman. She sits down and listens to her brother talk. Slowly she starts revealing her side of the story, “On 17th July I got a call from my friend saying that I should go and meet her immediately for the job. When I went to meet her, there were two women and a man waiting for me. They gave me some food, which was drugged and put me on a train. They forced me to call my brother and tell him that I had got a job. Since I was not fully conscious, I could not understand what was happening, where I was going, why I was on a train. All my protests were in vain. Two more men joined us on the way. They took away all my belongings – my mobile phone, my gold jewellery, my slippers… We finally reached Delhi and I stayed at someone’s house for that night. The next day I was sold to a brothel.”

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

 

Recounting her days at the brothel, Roshni continues, “I was trapped and helpless. I was beaten with a ladle when I refused to work as a prostitute. I told them that my father would kill me if I got into this profession. The lady there said that she had paid for me and so I can’t refuse. I would often think of my children and cry and would again get beaten up for that”. She shows the marks of injury on her hands.

Events took a sharp turn around end September when a local shopkeeper near the brothel sympathized with her plight. He offered to connect her to her brother through some people he knew in her village. Soon Roshni was in touch with Nadim through the shopkeeper’s mobile phone. She says, “Suddenly I saw some hope. I tried to keep my eyes and ears open and give my brother an idea of my whereabouts”

Nadim adds on “First she said that that there was a police booth nearby. The next time she said that two girls had been rescued. I passed on this information to the police officers who were dealing with the case.” With the help of this information and the internet, the West Bengal police pieced the evidence together, pinpointed Roshni’s exact location and finally came to Delhi with Nadim and his mother. They got in touch with the local police station. On 6th October, the local police and Shakti Vahini, an NGO that works on human trafficking, rescued Roshni from the brothel.

Roshni stayed at a women’s shelter home, while the paperwork in the police station was being completed. She was then picked up by her family and the West Bengal Police. They all left for their home on 8th October. In the interim, the counselors at Shakti Vahini provided her counseling. Shakti Vahini, through its network of NGOs in West Bengal, will provide her financial and legal support. While Roshni feels relieved to be rescued from the brothel, she also is worried about going back and facing her husband and in-laws. Nadim concludes by saying, “I have not been able to earn any money over the past two and a half months. We have sold our land and our belongings to come here. Today I am happy that I have finally found my sister. Nothing else matters”.

Roshni is one of the few miraculous cases of escape, where luck and the vigilance of people came to her rescue. While she can probably look forward to a different life, there are numerous men, women and children across the globe, who are victims of human trafficking with no hope for the future. Many more are still vulnerable to being trafficked. The reasons for this are many – poverty and inequity, gender discrimination, lack of appropriate legislation and political will, restrictive immigration policies, globalization of the sex industry, and the involvement of transnational organized criminal networks.

As member states gather this week at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols at the UNODC Headquarters in Vienna, it serves as an urgent reminder for the global community to act in solidarity against this crime to ensure a world that is safer for millions like Roshni.

Shakti Vahini helps in the rescue and rehabilitation of survivors of human trafficking. They partner with non governmental organizations and the Government of India to highlight and address issues on human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. They are an active partner of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).

http://www.unodc.org/southasia/en/frontpage/2010/october/the-story-of-a-survivor-of-human-trafficking-in-west-bengal.html

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THE BODY SHOP AND ECPAT LAUNCH GLOBAL PETITION IN INDIA TO STOP SEX TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

27^th August 2010, The Body Shop and ECPAT today launch the much – anticipated Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People Petition in INDIA.  To mark the occasion at 4 pm, The Body Shop and ECPAT are asking that every concerned person in the country show their solidarity against Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People by making a simultaneous “Big Stop” as a national sign of zero tolerance.

Stop Trafficking of Children and Young People Petition in India

The national activity will culminate in a high profile “Big Stop” at Select City Walk Mall, Saket, New Delhi where up to 150 participants are expected which will have Cristina Albertin (UNODC– Regional Representative) along with celebrities- Actor & Social Worker Nafisa Ali and Actor Chitrangda Singh showing their support. Also Present were Shri Ravi Kant , President Shakti Vahini and Advocate Supreme Court of India , Ashish Gupta , Secretary, National Media Coalition and India leading designer Jatin Kocchar along with leading activist who have been working on Anti Trafficking .

The celebrities would flag off the petition launch by signing the Stop Sex Trafficking Petition at the event & by drawing or painting around their hand on the petition Wall to support the campaign.

Huge number of celebrities & eminent personalities from various fields would be approached to support the Campaign by signing the petition and giving a sketch of their handprints.  Globally celebrities like Sir Ben Kingsley, Robert Pattinson, Katie Melua, Yoko Ono & Joanna Lumley have shown their support by signing petitions and drawing their handprints.In India, celebrities like Social Worker – Ms. Ambika Shukla, Designers – Arujn Kapoor, Anjali Kapoor, Leena, Samant Chauhan, Nida Mehmood, Photographer – Rohit Chawla and Model – Meher Bhasin have signed the petition and sent their handprints in support of the campaign.

The INDIA petition aims at raising awareness on the issue of sex trafficking and requests nationwide support for:

• Urgent Ratification of the UN Trafficking Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children;
• Integration of a compulsory module on trafficking in children within school curricula and teachers training programs;
• Strengthening of the special 24/7 nation-wide toll-free helpline so that it addresses adequately the needs of children victims of trafficking;
• Establishment of specific shelters for child victims of trafficking or existing shelters to be equipped to provide systematic adequate assistance and protection services, especially psychological counseling.

Ms Christin Albertin of UNODC with Advocate Ravi Kant , President Shakti Vahini and Journalist Ashish Gupta at the Launch

The National Petition is witnessing strong support from the civil society also. Shakti Vahini, National Media Coalition on Trafficking, STOP, ICYO, Tronie Foundation among others have extended active support to this campaign.

Taking place in some 66 countries around the world, the fifth Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York, hosted by Former US President Bill Clinton cited this campaign as ‘an exemplary approach to addressing a specific global challenge’ Commenting on the scale of the problem at hand, Cristina Albertin from UNODC stresses the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to anti-human trafficking, promote better international cooperation and mutual legal assistance between countries and ensure the safety, rights and protection of victims in line with the provisions laid down in the Protocol to “Prevent, Suppress and Punish trafficking in persons, especially Women and Children” which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC)- a global legally binding instrument to promote cooperation to prevent and combat transnational organized crime more effectively.  Highlighting why The Body Shop is supporting this campaign, Sameer Prasad from The Body Shop India said, “The Body Shop has never shied away from tackling controversial issues and causes that others would avoid. Indeed it was one of the dying wishes of our late founder, Dame Anita Roddick that this, the “modern-day slave trade” – human trafficking – be brought to an end. Because we believe that collectively a lot more can be done to address this problem, we have joined forces with ECPAT globally to launch a petition which aims at strengthening the legislation and protection measures and in doing so, stamp out this terrible violation of children’s rights”.

To put a “Big Stop” to Sex Trafficking, The Body Shop and ECPAT International are asking customers and supporters to go to their local The Body Shop store to sign The Stop Sex Trafficking Petition in a personalised way – by drawing or painting around their hand. Alternatively they can sign up online at www.thebodyshop.in

The partnership between The Body Shop and ECPAT was initially launched in August 2009 with The Body Shop customers able to purchase a specially developed “Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream” all the profits of which go to ECPAT India Partners. So far in INDIA lacs has been raised for this cause.

Event Partner:

UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime) which actively provides technical assistance and financial assistance in South Asia through various projects for prevention, prosecution and protection to curb human trafficking in the region, is lending their support to The Body Shop® India as Event Partners in the Petition Launch.

Advocate Ravi Kant , President Shakti Vahini and Journalist Ashish Gupta of The National Media Coalition India at the Launch of The Petition

About The Body Shop

The Body Shop International plc is the original ethical cosmetics company, now operating more than 2,500 stores in over 60 markets worldwide. The Body Shop has constantly sought out wonderful natural ingredients from all four corners of the globe to bring you products bursting with effectiveness, to enhance your natural beauty. We strive to use our planet’s resources wisely, searching for outstanding natural materials and ingredients from across the globe to include in our range of products. We continue to lead the way, introducing 100% recycled packaging, and raising funds and awareness to help prevent the spread of HIV/ AIDS, and continuing to support marginalized communities around the world through our Community Trade program.

About ECPAT International

ECPAT International is a global network composed of more than 81 member organizations in 75 countries. Members of ECPAT work to combat commercial sexual exploitation, including providing direct care to child victims public information campaigns and working with governments to design and implement action to protect children.

Please visit http://www.thebodyshop.in to sign the petition online.

Ravi Kant , President Shakti Vahini and Advocate Supreme Court of India Signing the Petition

ACTIVIST RISHI KANT WITH FASHION DESIGNER JATIN KOCCHAR

Related Articles

• How to Protect Children from Trafficking in 3 Easy Steps (humantrafficking.change.org)
• Child trafficking petition urges guardianship system for victims (guardian.co.uk)
• The Body Shop Wants You to Help End Sex Trafficking (thegloss.com)
• Susan Sarandon Campaigns Against Prosecution Of Child Sex Slaves (huffingtonpost.com)