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Empower Countless Kids In Mumbai’s Brothels And Free Them From A Life Of Suffering
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Story of the changemaker
Way back in 2008, when Aaboo Varghese started working with trafficked women and young girls, he had no idea how to make inroads into this seamy and horrific world of red-light areas in India. But he had a burning desire to make a real difference and so he started learning everything from scratch.
“It was around this time that Rekha* walked into our lives. She was a commercially s*xually exploited woman working in dance bars and red-light areas and we got to know her heartbreaking story when the police rescued her during one of their raids. She was a big inspiration for me to start Purnata in 2014,” - explains Aaboo.
Aaboo dedicated his life to telling their untold stories to the world and giving them a life of respect
While working closely with Rekha, Aaboo, realised that while there were many organisations focused on the rescue and rehabilitation front of the commercially s*xually exploited women, not much was being done about the prevention of the root cause of human trafficking. Aaboo decided that this would be his starting point.
“Rekha was sold to a Nepali family when she was just 6. Uneducated and bogged down by tremendous poverty, she didn’t have a say in this. But she never gave up - not when they sent her to Mumbai and forced her to take 10-15 customers a day, not when they locked her up in a room with no food and water, and not even when they beat her up and covered her body with cigarette burns. She was a fighter and with the help of the right people, she finally found a way out.”
Rekha’s story is similar to so many other trafficked survivors yet unique in its own way. Her fight was a battle against all those who betrayed her and exploited her. When many others lost hope, she struggled on. In the end, she could have a home and even visit her family in Assam. HIV-positive, Rekha succumbed to tuberculosis a few years back but Aaboo mentions that all her life she had fought for respect and acceptance. Based out of Mumbai, Purnata aims to give countless commercially s*xually exploited women and their children the same. Purnata stands for ‘wholeness’ or ‘completeness’ - through their holistic approach, detailed research, and innovative measures they aim to end trafficking at the source, transit, and destination points and uplift countless innocent lives.
Through their outreach program - Ashray - Purnata wants to cater to both these trafficked women and their children. The drop-in centres for women aim to build relationships and provide them with opportunities through training where they can learn and enhance life skills so that they can finally live a respectable life.
The daycare centres, on the other hand, intend to give an opportunity to restore the childhood of the kids living with their mothers in the brothels. They offer them protection from their vulnerable surroundings, access to quality education, a nutritious feeding program, and regular activities to promote hygiene & good health.
“Society wants to see these women as just commercially s*xually exploited women. What they forget is that they too are mothers and they want the best for their children. We are catering to hundreds of such children and want to give them the hope of a better life. But without consistent donations, it is getting very difficult.”
Help Purnata reach out to many more needy children and fill their lives with happiness
Aaboo shares that they are in urgent need of groceries, hygiene materials, and stationery items - all of this will be used to take better of the kids who visit them in the day-care centres. Every donation you make will brighten up their lives. These kids have seen the worst, they don’t even have the support of their families - a little support would go a long way. Together with Purnata, let’s build a world free from heinous s*x trade and trafficking.
About the NGO: Established in 2014, this Mumbai-based NGO aims to give countless commercially s*xually exploited women and their children a life of respect and happiness. Purnata stands for ‘wholeness’ or ‘completeness’ - through their holistic approach, detailed research, and innovative measures they aim to end trafficking at the source, transit, and destination points and uplift countless innocent lives. Through their outreach program - Ashray - Purnata wants to cater to both these trafficked women and their children.
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