Country: India

Organization: SANLAAP (lit. Dialogue) is a development organisation, an NGO in West Bengal, India focussing on Counter Trafficking Initiatives for the most vulnerable - namely women and children.

Innovation: One of its major strategies has been engaging Youth in its fight against trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. The innovativeness of the strategy is that SANLAAP has been working for the future of young girls trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and with survivors to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. It has been doing so by making children and youth ýpartnersý and working with them in the organisationýs efforts to put an end to this gross violation of human rights. Identified and trained youth from SANLAAPýs programmes are playing a pivotal role in establishing anti-trafficking initiatives within their communities and constituencies. They are the future bastions/leaders in the fight against human trafficking. Through various processes the youth are trained toward their own self-development and to play their part in ending human trafficking. The focus areas have been -

1. The rural districts of West Bengal identified as the ýsourceý areas of trafficking; 2. The red light areas, which is the first contact point for the trafficked victims in an abusive cycle of violence; and 3. The shelter homes of SANLAAP - called SNEHA (lit. Affection), which houses girls rescued from brothels / red- light districts across India and are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking, as well as vulnerable girl children identified from the red light areas. SANLAAP is engaging YOUTH in its anti-trafficking interventions in the following ways. ý SANLAAP works with Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in 10 districts in West Bengal, mostly bordering Nepal and Bangladesh, which are the ýcountry of originý for thousands of trafficked girls to India. Youth Groups are identified and trained to take on a role as ýyouth leaders or advocatesý in their community and addresses the problem of Trafficking from their villages.The youth organize awareness campaigns on the ýdangersý of unsafe migration, and the importance of information while migrating to the cities. The youth acts as information banks of any network of traffickers operating in the area. Child Protection Units (CPUs) are run by the Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in vulnerable areas. The CPUs are often run by the youth themselves where everyday activities are managed and overseen by the youth leaders.

ý SANLAAPýs work in the red light areas is aimed to uphold child rights and target the issue of trafficking. Lack of education, skills and options for livelihoods give way to second-generation prostitution for the girls and makes them vulnerable to trafficking to other places. The boys often become pimps and in the process become perpetrators of violence. SANLAAP runs Child Protection Programme in the red light areas of Kolkata and suburbs, through 14 Drop-in-Centres (DIC). These function as a space for constant monitoring of cases of trafficking that might go on in the red light areas. Youth Groups were formed with the older children from the DICs, The youth group identify local problems as well as some measures to address the problems. They also begin to inform SANLAAP about trafficking cases in their areas.

ý SANLAAPýs Shelter Home, SNEHA (lit. affection ) is a complex inter-related multi-disciplinary psychosocial rehabilitation programme in itself. Issue based groups are conducted with the girls in the shelter home with an aim to empower them with issues of trafficking and its related violence. The girls who are survivors of Trafficking in the shelter home form ýcaptainsý group or ýprefectý group to lend support to their peers who are going through a difficult phase brought on by the trauma experienced by them. These groups often function as ýpeer supporters/barefoot counsellorsý to the others.

ý The cultural wing of SANLAAP, Sanved is run with a component of therapeutic measure for the children both at shelter homes and drop-in-centres. SANVED is a group of Performing Artists and Social Advocates, who are survivors of sexual violence and exploitation. SANVED uses Dance and physical Movement therapy for survivors as a non - traditional avenue of healing, allowing survivors to reconcile their trauma through healthy expressions of the body. For Sanved, dance is also a medium of advocacy. Sanved assimilates traditional dance forms into an issue - based performances. Today, Sanved is a platform of advocacy and performing arts that are now activists and artists speaking on issues of Trafficking, gender injustices and human rights.

Impact: A major component of the program is to develop and nurture youth leaders amongst the survivors of trafficking to act as advocates in different parts of the country and lobby with the law making authorities for implementing systems to end human trafficking. This is achieved with the help of SANLAAPýS legal wing. The legal aid wing addresses the legal processes necessary for speedy disposal of cases that involve the girls living under state custody, so that they may have the choices of living at home, or unrestricted freedom in movement. Liasing with the courts of law, the juvenile justice board for the purpose, appealing to the courts for the custody of children and minor girls rescued from the red light area to prevent them being taken custody by pimps and madams posing as parents (sometimes even real mothers who prostitute their daughters), all such activities fall under the purview of the programme. The programme also provides crucial indicators on what changes needs to be lobbied for in legislation, law enforcement or policy.The organisationýs interaction with law enforcing agencies has rapidly smoothened and increased over the years. Police personnel and border Security Force (BSF) interact with the organisation on a regular basis. Before SANLAAPýs attempts in advocacy and liaison with policy makers and implementers there was no recognition of children forced into prostitution and children of women in prostitution as separate categories of traumatized children. The organisationýs lobbying on issues around trafficking of women and children made them acknowledge this group as separate. SANLAAP was subsequently given permission to take custody of girls and also establish short stay and observation homes. Youth advocates from SANLAAP are regularly interacting at various national and international forums and platforms to discuss anti- trafficking interventions. They are engaging in dialogue with different stakeholders on law reforms and anti- trafficking systems. At the grassroots level, SANLAAP works closely with district administration, Police and Panchayat.

Tipping Point: Though much needs to be done to end both in country and cross border trafficking, in human beings, SANLAAPýs endeavours over the years have yielded significant success.

ý Working with a network of organisations especially in the identified ývulnerableý areas i.e. prone to trafficking in West Bengal. Many of these organisations are situated along the Indo-Bangladesh border, a highly porous border through which girls from Bangladesh are trafficked into India. These organisations through CPUs, youth groups, awareness campaigns are working in mobilizing their community against trafficking.

ý Youth members of SANLAAP in the red light areas have handled cases of trafficking by reporting it to the organisation or to the authorities. They have often acted as informants of girls being trafficked into the areas.

ý Young individuals have worked towards bringing their mothers out of Prostitution. Girls have convinced their family members against joining the flesh trade.

ý SANLAAPýs drop-in-centres in the red light areas are mostly the local clubs located in the area. These clubs were often a space for criminal activities or for pimps striking deals in procuring girls. Today these are safe haven for the children who spend a lot of their time in these centres.

Replication: SANLAAPýs youth program, which started in Kolkata in 1999, is being replicated amongst CBOs in the 10 districts of West Bengal, which are the major source areas of Trafficking in the state. SANLAAP has been one of the pioneer organisations in its fight against Trafficking and for the women in the red light areas. It has also built a larger network in the state and across the country for the rehabilitation, repatriation and reintegration of the survivors and has prescribed ýstandards of careý for the rehabilitation of survivors to government authorities and other NGOs.

Sustainability: Involve youth and empower them in the fight against trafficking of children- as these will be the people who will stay and are directly affected, they can eventually be accountable for their own area or community.

ý The approach that SANLAAP believes is DYI (do it yourself).

ý Involving local clubs and creating interest among youth leaders, political parties and people at large will ensure the sustainability of the programmes. Communities and society will identify themselves with the cause ownership of the cause now fought by SANLAAP.

ý SANLAAP envisages a point in time when it will not be needed in these areas and the CBOs, youth clubs, informal youth groups, local community will take over.

ý Working with CBOs and using the existing structures for Child Protection Units in the rural districts or using local clubs in the red light areas, are low finance intensive endeavours. While at present the finance is being channelised through the organisation, tomorrow the youth can be directly brought in TO TAKE CHARGE.

Position in the Human Trafficking Mosaic of Solutions:

Factor: Vulnerability of High-Risk Populations

Principle: Creating Value-Driven Communities