Prerana

Prerana
Founded 1986
Founder Priti Patkar
Type Anti-Trafficking, Child Sexual Abuse
Focus Children's Rights, Sex Trafficking, Human Rights, Education, Gender, Health
Location
Area served
Mumbai, Navi Mumbai
Key people
 Pravin Patkar, Preeti Iyer
Slogan Protecting Rights. Creating Choices. Restoring Dignity.
Website www.preranaantitrafficking.org

Prerana is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works in the red-light districts of Mumbai, India to protect children vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. It was established in 1986.

The organization runs three night care centers for children at risk, as well as shelter homes and a residential training center for girls rescued from the trafficking trade. The work of Prerana has been recognized nationally and internationally as being at the forefront of leading the global fight against trafficking and sexual exploitation.[1]

Prerana is registered under the Societies Registration Act (Registration No: 372/1990).[2]

History

1988 The first ever Night Care Center in the world was conceptualized to provide shelter for children of women victims of human trafficking living in red lights areas.[3]

1989 The first ever Institutional Placement Program was instituted to suit the specific needs of children living in the red light areas – to de-link children from exploitative and abusive environments/situations,and to provide long term residential care and development.[4]

1990 The first ever Educational Support Program was designed to suit the needs of children living in the red light areas.[5]

1998 Programmatic interventions by Prerana were mentioned in the first National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children, Government of India, 1998.[6]

1999 Prerana started an Anti-Trafficking Centre, a specialized resource center on trafficking problems and anti-trafficking initiatives. It was an initiative encouraged by the Department of State, United States Government.[7]

2002-2005 Prerana was appointed to both working groups of the Ministry of Health, Government of India to contribute to the 10th and 11th Five Year Plans. It was also appointed as the Expert by the National Commission of Women and the Central and State Level Advisory Committee to combat human trafficking.[8]

2004 US Government nominated a Prerana Trustee as United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking.[9]

2007 Prerana offered training to police on trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.[10]

2010 Prerana launched a resource center and special home for girls.[11]

2011 In August 2011, Prerana was invited to be a member on the Supreme Court of India panel on the problems faced by women in sex work in India to work on prevention of trafficking and rehabilitation of sex workers.[12]

Focus Areas

Projects

The Night Care Center (NCC) project

The NCC was conceptualized for the first time worldwide in the year 1986 at the Kamathipura red light area in Mumbai. It provides a safe place for women in prostitution to protect their children from the dangers of the red light district during night hours. The NCC; functioning out of the Kamathipura, Falkland Road and Vashi provides a package of services on a 24x7 basis such as protected shelter, nutrition, health care, education, recreation, etc.[14]

Educational Support Program

Prerana instituted the first comprehensive Educational Support Program (ESP) in the country for children from red light areas. The ESP works with children and addresses their needs in education as well as personal and professional development. The ESP provides complementary and remedial education, extra-curricular activities, life skills education, and personal development inputs. The ESP also sponsors older children for vocational training programs. Prerana runs 3 ESPs in the Mumbai red light districts of Kamathipura and Falkland Road and Vashi Turbhe in Navi Mumbai.[15]

Institutional Placement Program

When the mother of a child approaches Prerana with a request to de-link the child from the red light area, and place him or her in to a healthy environment, Prerana supports the mother in considering the option of shifting the child to a place that can provide long term residential care and development. Prerana selects the institutions, follows up for visits to the institutions, involves the Child Welfare Committee on follow-up visits, and provides support like mother’s meetings, counseling and group homes. The system ensures that children are given access to residential institutional care until they can return to a safe environment or until they turn 18 years of age. Currently the IPP has impacted over 1200 children.[16]

Anti-Trafficking Center

External agencies including The Department of State for the US Government encouraged Prerana to start a specialized resource centre on trafficking problems and anti-trafficking. The ATC opened in 1999. A few of the services provided by ATC are training and sensitization, research and documentation, policy consultancy, advocacy, information dissemination, amongst others.[17]

Naunihal Girls' Shelter

The Naunihal Special Home for Girls opened on 27 October 2010. Naunihal home provides the girls with educational programs, vocational and livelihood courses, medical check-ups, arranges meeting with the girls’ mothers or guardians and provides additional recreational activities.[18]

Post Rescue Operation

Prerana steps in to support rescued girls who are traumatized and vulnerable to be retrafficked with victim assistance and witness protection services. Services include residential care, vocational training, job placement, psycho-social counseling and legal support.[19]

Aarambh

Aarambh is a joint initiative of Prerana and the ADM Capital Foundation. Its focus is to address issues related to child sexual exploitation from multiple perspectives including prevention, protection, legal intervention, and advocacy. The initiative aims to demonstrate and document best practices in child protection as well as implementation of the law on Protection of children from sexual offenses in India.[20]

Awards and achievements

Prerana has been successful in influencing Indian policy making at various levels. The organization was instrumental in persuading the government to integrate a child trafficking policy into the country's 1998 National Plan. Its work has also been acknowledged internationally: its founder was nominated by the US government for the position of United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking in 2004.[24]

Notes

  1. ↑ "About Prerana".
  2. ↑ "Prerana".
  3. ↑ "Prerana's first Night Care Center".
  4. ↑ "Prerana's Institutional Placement Program".
  5. ↑ "Prerana's Education Support Program".
  6. ↑ "Prerana in National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking and CSE, 1998" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "US Government Support for Prerana Anti-Trafficking Center".
  8. ↑ "Prerna on Commissions".
  9. ↑ "Prerana nominated as UN Special Rapporteur".
  10. ↑ "Prerana nominated as UN Special Rapporteur".
  11. ↑ "Prerana's special home for girls".
  12. ↑ "Prerana's special home for girls" (PDF).
  13. ↑ "About Prerana".
  14. ↑ "Prerana's Night Care Center".
  15. ↑ "Prerana's ESP" (PDF).
  16. ↑ "Prerana's IPP" (PDF).
  17. ↑ "Prerana's ATC" (PDF).
  18. ↑ "Prerana's ATC".
  19. ↑ "Prerana's ATC" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "Aarambh".
  21. ↑ "Prerana Award Winner".
  22. ↑ "Prerna on better India".
  23. ↑ "Prerna and Ecpact" (PDF).
  24. ↑ "Prerana case Study".
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