Prajwala
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| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Ms. Sunitha Krishnan and Brother Jose Vetticatil |
| Type | Non-Governmental Organisation |
| Focus | Anti-Sex Trafficking |
| Location | |
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Employees
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200 |
| Website | www.prajwalaindia.com |
Prajwala is a non-governmental organisation based in Hyderabad, India, devoted exclusively to eradicating forced prostitution and sex trafficking. Founded in 1996 by Ms. Sunitha Krishnan and Brother Jose Vetticatil, the organisation actively works in the areas of prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration and advocacy to combat trafficking in every dimension and restore dignity to victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
Currently, Prajwala runs 17 transition centers for children of women in prostitution, 3 crisis counseling centers in police stations, a production-cum-training unit for economic rehabilitation, and a therapeutic shelter home for sex trafficked women and children, the majority of whom are HIV positive. Out of its 200 employees, 70% are survivors themselves. Prajwala also forms partnerships with local communities, civil society, corporate agencies and government bodies on various aspects of prevention, protection and prosecution throughout India and the world.
Prajwala holds the conviction that sex trafficking is the worst form of human rights violation and flesh trade the oldest form of sexual slavery. The organisation is dedicated to creating a trafficking-free society where no woman or child is sexually exploited and no human being is treated as a commodity. The larger goal is to demonstrate best field practices for up-scaling, replication and adaptation by state and non-state agencies to ensure anti-trafficking mechanisms are in place.
The philosophy of Prajwala evolved after the oldest red light district of Hyderabad city, Mehboob ki Mehindi, was forcibly evacuated in 1996. As a result, thousands of women caught in the clutches of prostitution were suddenly uprooted, homeless and displaced. Based on the women’s plea for a dignified future for their children, two visionaries—a Catholic Missionary named Brother Jose Vetticatil and a then Hindu nun Ms. Sunitha Krishnan—joined forces to initiate an intervention to prevent minors from entering the sex trade. This program, called Prevention Through Education, initially consisted of a small school run out of a vacated brothel.
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