Quantcast
Channel: Not For Sale: End Human Trafficking and Slavery » Samantha Thornley
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

New Factory Creates New Futures for Survivors in India

0
0

In Delhi, India, Not For Sale works to reintegrate survivors of exploitation and at-risk populations by providing dignified and sustainable employment opportunities. Additionally, Not For Sale drives business to local ethical companies, increasing production and generating funds to be re-invested into at-risk communities.

Thousands of woman and children in India are trafficked into labor and sexual exploitation. Many are trafficked into Delhi’s red light district where several brothels are hidden in a façade of storefronts. Local NGO’s estimate that there are up to 10,000 prostitutes living and working on one street alone. All too often, when women seek new employment, they receive little to no support or protection and quickly end up back on the streets. While not all women are coerced into prostitution, many have the perception that they have no economic alternative, and an estimated 60% of trafficking survivors in India are re-trafficked.

Not For Sale recently developed a job and life-skills training program for socially conscious manufacturers, piloted at Open Hand, a for-profit ethical manufacturing company. The program will provide a passage of stability for new employees moving from recovery to re-integration.

Opening May 2012, a new 10,000 square foot factory is home for this program, empowering women from exploited backgrounds to create their own new future through job-skill training. The Not For Sale training program will support and engage women who desire to return to or enter the workforce following rehabilitation. Trainees are supported by the community and will be appointed a social worker. As part of their training, they are offered counseling, childcare, literacy programs, savings and financial training, and additional transferable job skills.

Not For Sale’s unique model includes training videos that target the different learning styles of individuals, as well as a step-by-step strategy – each woman sets goals they would like to achieve throughout the program. Not For Sale believes protection from traffickers, support during the transition to new employment, and a quality training program in Delhi will lead to enhanced self esteem, higher retention rates of employment and a decrease in re-trafficking cases.

As women begin their new jobs, they are engaged to explore a range of opportunities within the company while offered a realistic understanding of the work environment. In 2012, Not For Sale aims to train 100 women to be employed at Open Hand’s new factory, of whom 30-40% are survivors of exploitation or severely at risk. 

Not For Sale employee Caitlin Ross has just arrived in India, where she will help manage relationships between Not For Sale’s global partners and local manufacturers. Additionally, Ross will network with local NGO partners to investigate instances of trafficking, and explore new avenues for improving social and economic impact in vulnerable communities to expand sourcing opportunities in India. “I am delighted to be heading to Delhi to represent Not For Sale and assist our partners on the ground,” Caitlin stated, “The partnership in Delhi is so valuable to Not For Sale’s as we scale our impact in India. I am looking forward to learning first hand how Not For Sale can expand and enable more vulnerable and exploited women to gain access to fair employment and to prevent further instances of trafficking.”

Scarves made by Open Hand in India create sustainable, dignified employment for men and women in India, while the profits are reinvested to create new futures for survivors of Human Trafficking. 1 scarf can provide education to a survivor of Human Trafficking for 4 months. 

CLICK HERE to purchase a Freedom Scarf and help create new futures for survivors of Human Trafficking.

For more information on Not For Sale’s Impact, view our Methodology Report

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images