The Redeemed

(A project to fight Human Trafficking)

Moved by the high number of trafficking of women and girls from the tea gardens and tribal belts of India – as well as Indo-Nepal border, our ministry leadership decided to be engaged in abating this crime. As a first step, we desired to create awareness among people before taking further steps to rescue and rehabilitate such victims in our centers in North Bengal, Jharkhand and Delhi.

“ Project Redeemed”  has therefore been launched on 15 October, 2020 at New Glencoe tea garden in Jailpaiguri District in North Bengal, India. The aim of the project is ZERO TRAFFICKING in and around this tea gardens. Thereafter it is launched at Simdega, Jharkhand where trafficking of girls and women are plenteous.

This project chiefly focuses on creating awareness amongst women, young girls and members of public. This is done in and around the tea gardens in the Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts of north Bengal as well as in the tribal belt of Simdega in Jharkhand

The awareness is generated in two parts. First is through raising public awareness campaigns. These are held regularly, wherein large public meetings, sports events, cultural programs like dance, skits and street plays are conducted wherein a minimum of 200 to 300 people gather in each meeting. The topics include current threat and how the trafficking takes place and how one can stay careful and safe, Role and manner in which touts play vital role in trafficking, Common traps of human trafficking, Basic knowledge of constitutional rights of each citizen, various legislations regarding human trafficking, how to seek and obtain help from the local gram panchayat leaders and police station. To spread awareness among the young girls, the project organizes girls football tournament from time to time and among 10-15 teams from various tea gardens in the vicinity. Over 500 players and spectators gather to watch such matches and that becomes a good opportunity to discuss trafficking issue before the game started. In all these meetings the police personnel, lawyers and other NGO leaders serve as resource persons together with the project leaders. All awareness programs are attended by various leaders such as the village heads, committee members of tea gardens, the panchayat members, the Block Development officer and the tea estate manager and the senior police officers of the local police station.

The second approach is through educating and raising awareness among the various religious leaders so that they educate their congregations and their families about the ills and consequences of trafficking.  In future we seek to rescue and rehabilitate the victims, place them in our proposed mid-way homes and rehabilitate them and ensure their complete social integration. This is a giant leap that we wish to take and for this we solicit your support