Healing the trauma

Since coming here, I have been equipped with skills that are helping me in many ways. It’s a good place,” says Manasa (name changed), a young woman who was rescued after being trafficked. There are many young girls and women like her in Vidyaranya, a civil society organisation which helps women and girls who have been in her situation. The organisation has been trying to create a sustainable change for women, children and aged people by providing education, healthcare, food and shelter.

M C Ramesh and his friends began Vidyaranya in Mandur near Bengaluru in 1991. It was their desire to make a change with meaningful acts of service that fuelled the beginning of the organisation’s story. They began their pursuits in an area they felt there weren’t much facilities or resources available to them: education for differently-abled children.

“We first began working with differently-abled children, as during the 90s, inclusive education was not very common,” explains D Bhaskar, chief executive officer of Vidyaranya.

They provided help to facilitate their education and approached the State government to support them in providing trained educators. Thus, they started their first programme, ‘Integrated education for disabled children’ in Mandur. They have since expanded into other areas, particularly those who are in disadvantaged positions.

Staying in education
Girls today face a lot of stumbling blocks for education, many of which are not of their own making. This is especially true if they are in vulnerable positions of being trafficked, are out on the streets, or are doing hard jobs. To find out reasons behind why such girls and their parents are out on the streets, a social mobiliser from Vidyaranya goes out on the streets, in search of such victims.

If the girls have no parents, they get in touch with the State’s Child Welfare Committees. After an initial overview and report to a selection committee, they are taken on board to provide support to them, academically and personally. To ensure that they receive a holistic, well-rounded education, knowledge is imparted with respect to both — academics and personal development. “In addition to these, we ensure that we conduct monthly meetings with their parents so that they can see how their child is doing. And we visit them in their homes as well. We do this as we believe that bonding is important for them,” adds Bhaskar.

Support system for women
Trafficked women are usually forced into prostitution, commercial marriages and other ‘female’ occupations such as domestic work. To help such women, who were unwittingly taken into such professions, they began ‘Ujjwala’, a protective and rehabilitation programme for victims of human trafficking. Started in 2008, this focuses on prevention, rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficked women and girls.

They work in conjunction with the Union Government and the police to help trafficked women have a better, renewed life. As soon as they come in, they are provided with counselling services in addition to medical care. They are also provided with basic amenities like food, shelter and clothing. Once they have settled down, they are given training in various skills such as spoken English and computers, and vocational training in jewellery making, beauty courses, home nursing and tailoring.

In addition to supporting trafficked women, they also support women who are  mentally challenged, rape survivors, or have been abandoned by their husbands. Most often, such women are ignored or do not have the required support system to help them. As a result, the organisation provides shelter, food, clothing and care to the marginalised women and girls, who are without any social and economic support in their two rehabilitation centres in Hassan and Mandur. As for trafficked victims, they are provided with counselling sessions. During their stay, they are also equipped with necessary skills for employment.

Once they have fully recuperated and are feeling confident, they are reintegrated with their families. And with the vocational skills that they are equipped with, they become economically independent as well. The organisation’s support too doesn’t just stop when they leave their doors — it continues even after they have long left them. They are constantly in touch with them and follow up on how they are doing. Vidyaranya has its programmes in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Hassan, Chikkaballapura and Ramanagar. For details, one can contact them on 9343207349 or email at
[e-mail].