sexual exploitation

Showcasing the five women who have been nominated for ‘Optum Presents The Better India Showcase’ supported by the M3M foundation. They build in silence, persist with strength, and change lives without needing recognition.

These are just a few examples of the kind of impact NASSCOM’s BigTech program has driven in association with several donor companies.

Leading the pack is 35-year-old transgender woman Anju, who along with her friends, decided to break free from years of exploitation and injustice to lead lives on their terms.

Helper4U began informally as a telephone directory of job-seekers that Meenakshi and her husband created from the slums near Powai for their own society. But today, it is a full-fledged online platform, where not only women but also men can find jobs without paying a single penny to any intermediary or agent.

The media is having a field day, given that they have so many stories now to report on. India has finally got its own #MeTooIndia, says the editor of a leading daily. To them, it means more stories and therefore more eyeballs, and ultimately more revenue.

Even though many countries around the world have taken such strong and progressive steps, India is one of the 36 countries where it is still not a criminal offence.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, the number of registered human trafficking cases has increased by 38.3% over five years, from 2009 to 2013. Ayesha was in danger of becoming just one more such statistic before she was rescued; now she looks to the future with fierce grit and determination.

There are 18 million children enslaved in India, all of whom face some form of sexual exploitation everyday. Devi is a resilient young mother who went from being a victim to a survivor of sexual exploitation, and now dreams of leading the way for other women.

Illiteracy and alcoholism thrive in communities of Assam, along with ill health and domestic abuse, which give a perfect opportunity to traffickers. Here is how one organization and interesting initiatives are addressing the issues.