Saira wants to become a lawyer so she can put her rapists in jail.
“I want to fight my own case and put those monsters behind bars,” the 31-year-old from West Bengal said.
She might achieve her objective. In June, after three years of study, Saira, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, is to become the first student to graduate from a unique program that offers survivors of sexual exploitation the chance to enrol in fully funded law courses.
When she was 17, Saira met a man who offered her what she thought would be a lucrative job. She was keen to find work to help support her family, who lived on a low income. Instead of a job, Saira was held captive and raped repeatedly by the man and several of his friends.
She escaped after a month, but had no money or support to pursue legal action. Her attackers continue to roam free, which makes her angry and more determined to complete her studies.
“When I become a lawyer, I will seek justice for myself,” she said.
The School for Justice (SFJ) program was founded in April 2017 in Kolkata and is run by the Free a Girl India non-governmental organization (NGO), which fights the sexual exploitation of children, in partnership with local NGO Sanlaap and a law school. Those enrolled get their fees paid, receive stipends and in some cases receive free accommodation in a safe house. They are also given counseling.
Seven women are enrolled on a law course in Kolkata and 11 more have begun courses in Mumbai since January last year.
Most of the women are from lower-income communities and ethnic minorities. Some were kidnapped or lured away from home under a false pretext, before being forced into sex work.
“Our aim is to empower the girls to turn their lives around via education. Once they have completed their law education and become lawyers, we hope they will seek justice for themselves as well as for other girls trapped in sexual slavery,” Free a Girl India chief executive officer Shikha Philips said.
FEW CONVICTIONS
According to the Indian National Crime Records Bureau’s report for 2016, the latest year for which there is information, of every five people trafficked in India, three were children and more than 50 percent were girls.
However, only a tiny fraction of the perpetrators are convicted each year.
“We hope our law graduates will become change-makers from within the system,” Philips said.
The women are referred to SFJ by local NGO partners. When they arrive, they are often traumatized and fragile, Philips said. “So at first we focus on their holistic rehabilitation — assessment of their medical and nutritional needs, emotional counseling, psychiatric treatment, among other things.”
The courses are taught in English, so those who hail from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds, and struggle with the language, have a mentor to improve their skills.
“The girls are also given a stipend and all the resources they need to take on the challenges of an intensive, multi-year, law program,” Philips said.
Amira, 22, who joined the program last year, lived on-and-off the streets for several years. She was sexually abused.
“During my early days at SFJ, I was so nervous and ashamed of my past that I couldn’t even think clearly. This program has given me so much clarity and helped me evolve into a confident person,” said Amira, also not her real name. “Now, I can’t wait to complete my law education and join an NGO so I can help others, just like I’ve been helped by SFJ. Studying family law in school has made me aware of so many things including my own rights, and the rights of women and children. I want to ensure these rights are protected.”
DROPOUT CHALLENGE
One of the biggest challenges faced by SFJ is the high dropout rate. The social stigma surrounding survivors of sexual exploitation can affect morale and make it difficult for students to focus on their education.
The women studying in Kolkata live together in a safe house, but those in Mumbai live with their families.
Tapati Bhowmick of Sanlaap said: “We counsel the girls on a daily basis, but, of late, we have also begun to conduct regular sessions with the parents as well. We have realized it is important to allay their fears too, so they do not pressurize their daughters to drop out. It’s only natural that they are concerned for their safety and well-being.”
“We hope that our girls will become not just lawyers, but rather activist-lawyers,” Bhowmick said. “That way, they can advocate changes in the legal process, based on their own experiences of the system.”
SFJ hopes to expand the number of courses it can offer to cover social work, counseling and journalism.
“This will further strengthen our fight against the impunity with which sexual exploitation of children continues to happen in India,” Philips said.
Saira said that being a survivor of sexual exploitation means she can understand the pain and frustration faced by girls and women in similar situations when seeking justice.
“I am better equipped to help them navigate the legal system,” she said.
Saira hopes to become a judge.
“With SFJ’s support, I can achieve anything I put my mind to,” she said.
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