Ending the Scourge of Human Trafficking
HIV/AIDS is an epidemic in India stemming from the commercial sex trade
and exploitation of enslaved children. Join in rescuing these innocent victims,
providing them with shelter, vocational training, medical treatment, and hope.
$50 Suggested Gift 
Or mail a check to:
India Partners
P.O. Box 5470
Eugene, OR 97405
Make your check out to "India Partners" and note "End Human
Trafficking " on the memo line.
Sahaara Charitable Society
Sahaara Charitable Society, begun in 1994, has worked with trafficked women and their children since the year 2000. “Sahaara” in the Indian language means “Hope & Help”. Sahaara strives to seek out various underprivileged people groups in the city of Mumbai and to bring hope & help into their lives. It’s mission is to combat human trafficking, prostitution and AIDS in the red-light areas of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It believes that relationships form the foundation of initiating long-term interventions in the red light communities.
Sahaara reaches out to trafficked women and children residing in and around red light communities through activities such as adult literacy, value education, awareness and providing testing for HIV/AIDS, as well as immunization clinics, pre-primary education, remediation assistance to school going children, fun clubs, picnics and summer camps.
Sahaara runs two safe homes, one for women exiting the sex trade and one for children whose mothers are currently commercial sex workers. The children in the safe home are sent to the best schools in the locality and also take part in various extra-curricular activities and sports. The women are taught skills to sustain themselves and become fully functional members of society. Through these initiatives women and children are offered hope and freedom from the bondage of human trafficking. Sahaara’s vision & commitment is to see women and children totally transformed and integrated into the society.
A True Tale from the Red-Light District
Savitha (name changed for her protection) was a trafficked woman, ensnared in Mumbai's sex trade. The staff of SCS, our partner agency, found Savitha. They built a relationship with her and, over time, instilled in her heart the desire to quit the trade and choose a life of freedom and dignity. Savitha wanted to leave prostitution, but could not bring herself to take the decisive step and exit the only world she knew. She stayed on the streets. Read more ...
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By the Numbers:
These numbers have faces and names. Every statistic represents a real person who, just like you and me, is created and loved by God.
From a 2004 study by the National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi, of commercial sex workers in Mumbai:
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Prayer Points
- This is dangerous work. Pray for the protection of SCS staff as they move about Mumbai's darkest areas and meet with people on the fringes of society.
- The female sex workers are very vulnerable —not only because of their gender, but in terms of health and potential exposure to HIV. Pray for their safety, for their healing and full restoration.
- We know of two young girls who were drugged at night and kept under their mother's bed during working hours. Pray for children like these who are subject to unimaginable cruelties.
- How ambitious can we be? Let's continue to pray for the women and children caught up in the sex trade, but why not ask God to dramatically impact the lives of pimps and brothel owners as well?
Photos:
† Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department
* sandrinecohen22, available under a Creative Commons attribution—non-commercial license.
‡ © 2008 John Hurd. Licensed under Creative Commons.