Hyderabad: Twenty-two-year old Meenakshi (name changed), a B.Com student from the state, was rescued from trafficking at the age of 18. Now she has hopes of becoming a chartered accountant. Says she, “My mother died after a stove explosion. With no close family to back me, I was pushed into prostitution at the age of thirteen. After being rescued four years back, I gave my open exams and my intermediate which I cleared with 91 per cent.”
Prajwala’s conference with hundred girls from AP and TS who were former victims of sex trafficking revealed quite a few startling facts.
Some of the girls raised demands for women judges in courtrooms and laws to ensure that victims need not to go the court to testify against physical abuse.
They also raised complaints regarding the lack of identity cards like Aadhaar, voter ID and others which are difficult to obtain for rehabilitated sex workers as there is unending questioning of their backgrounds. They also talked about the need for skill-based courses in shelter homes.
As the girls spoke about finding odd end jobs to help them start a new life, the need for more encouragement was also discussed.
