Guria News Update Jan 2020

Message from the Guria Team

In 2019 Guria rescued 100 people,
including 60 children, from slavery
including sex trafficking and bonded
labour. We are currently fighting 3,099
legal cases having registered 147 new
cases regarding trafficking children for
sexual exploitation over the past year.
Our work has been highlighted in the
U.S Government Trafficking in Persons
(TIP) Report 2019, and we have
continued to face significant
challenges relating to major rescue
operations and legal cases we are
pursuing.
Ajeet Singh, Guria Director/founder,
has this year been awarded with the
prestigious International Mother
Teresa Award for Social Justice.
We would like to say a huge thank-you
to all those who support Guria and the
fight against human trafficking, and
hope you enjoy this news update.

Non formal education

Guria is currently supporting the education and vocational training of around 5,400 children through four
Non-Formal Education (NFE) Centres. We have succeeded in enabling 470 of these to be admitted to
mainstream schools, meaning to date a total of around 8,500 children have been supported.

Children growing up in highly deprived areas in or near red light districts are vulnerable to exploitation and
abuse including human trafficking. Our Non-Formal Education (NFE) centres are located near to such areas
- in Shivdaspur, the Varanasi red-light area, and there are more centres in Mau & Azamgarh districts, and
in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

In addition we are working in 40 schools along the Indo-Nepal border, which is very porous and frequently
traversed by human traffickers who transport children from poor rural areas, as well as over the border from
Nepal. We are working to provide support to children and families in these areas, raising awareness to
prevent human trafficking.

The NFE centres provide access to an education as well as a safe space in which to play and learn and
engage in creative and therapeutic activities, such as art, meditation and gardening. The children are also
helped with emotional support and counselling sessions where needed.
NFE centre Visitors – Twenty U.S. educators/researchers from the Fulbright program visited our NFE
centre in Shivdaspur, the Varanasi red light area. Guria India's founder, Ajeet, also shared his first-hand
experience regarding Guria India's model, and learnings on best practice.

Over the past year 34 visitors have come to our NFE centre in Shivdaspur, from countries including USA,
UK and India.

Celebrations – events were held at the NFE centre including for Holi, the Festival of Colours, and Christmas
and New Year celebrations. Trips out were also organised for the children at the centre including a trip to
the water park.

Diwali celebrations at the NFE

centre

Holi at the NFE centre!

Rescue Operations
Guria has carried out rescue operations raiding brothels in red lights areas to recover girls trapped in
commercial sexual exploitation, as well as to recover people enslaved in bonded labour situations,
commonplace in the brick kilns of northern India. This year we have rescued 100 people from slavery. Two
examples are given below:
Rescue of Trafficked girls from Agra - Guria India, with the help of Agra Police, rescued 34 trafficked
children / women and assisted in the arrest of 11 perpetrators from the Agra red light area in the state of
Uttar Pradesh. The rescued victims were from Nepal and the Indian states of Assam, Bengal, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh. We are now pursuing legal cases against the human traffickers and perpetrators involved,
as well as following up with rehabilitation and support for the victims. We successfully opposed and got the
bails rejected of all the brothel keepers involved.

The rescue of girls from Agra followed months of

planning and careful assessment of the area

Bonded Labourers rescue - In January 2019 Guria India, with the help of the Labour Department, rescued
47 bonded labours, of which 15 were children, from a brick kiln in Jharkhand state. The labourers had been
trafficked from the state of Chhattisgarh. Victims are now being rehabilitated and reunited with their
communities wherever possible

Bonded labourers rescued from a brick kiln in Jharkhand are given food by Guria
 Major rescue operation, corruption and unprecedented judgment

The U.S Government Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report 2019 released this year highlighted a case
fought by Guria India, where the warden of a government-run protection home was convicted to life
imprisonment for re-trafficking of 57 girls who had been placed in the home after being rescued from
Allahabad red light area by Guria India in 2016. The sentence was a landmark ruling which we welcome,
however there continues an unseen struggle, including attacks against Guria India staff.
The origins of this struggle date back to 2009 when Guria India’s founder, Ajeet Singh, disguised as a
cosmetics seller, used spy cameras to document 70 trafficked minor girls in brothels of Allahabad (Uttar
Pradesh) over an 11 month period. However the following rescue operation was only partially
successful due to vested interests and corruption. After years of follow up, another rescue operation
was conducted in Allahabad in 2016 following Guria’s submission of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to
the High Court demanding the rescue of children trapped in brothels.
Through the rescue operation in Allahabad, Guria India rescued 140 trafficked victims, most of whom
were minors and children. Through follow up legal action we were able to ensure that 48 traffickers
were arrested, and in a first case of its kind 61 brothels were seized, to an estimated value of US$182
million. In addition Guria India successfully opposed the bails of all 48 perpetrators, along with the fake
custodies presented for the victims, and fought against the traffickers and brothel keepers in order to
prevent re-opening of the seized brothels - these all were brought before the High court and Supreme
Court of India.
As per Guria India's end-to-end strategy through the entire process of the two cases - Agra (re-
trafficking of 57 children/women from a government-run protection home) and Allahabad (major rescue
operation), we acted as a complainant and a witness, using substantial evidence we gathered through
undercover operations. However we faced many challenges including an unexpected U-turn by the
investigating police officer in the court and request for premature closure of evidences by the
Government counsel. We also managed to expose 63 accomplices who assisted the protection home
warden in human trafficking, however the legal struggle continues on this case.
Throughout this process, Guria India sustained around eight attacks on its staff which are being
investigated by police. And earlier this year, the lawyer working on the Agra case, Ms Darvesh Singh,
was shot dead at the court in Agra, and at almost the same time our volunteer, Mr Dhanwan Gupta,
also supporting the Agra case, was killed in a so-called road accident. We believe these attacks to be
the result of our legitimate fight against human traffickers at Agra.
These shocking events demonstrate both the impact of our work as well as the risks involved. It has of
course been extremely upsetting and the Guria India team continues to be very careful about how we
go about our work and daily lives.
Community & Empowerment
Informing women of their rights - Guria India, with the support of the district administration, organised a
government entitlement camp for the women in the Varanasi red light area. Government officers dealing with
ration cards, old age pensions, widower pensions, gas connection etc. attended to explain how to access
such benefits. Since independence, most women from the red-light area, and other similarly impoverished
areas, continued to be socially excluded and hence have not been able to avail any of their rights and
entitlements. This is an important step in the direction of mainstreaming the women and their children.
Raising awareness – throughout the year we have organised regular awareness raising meetings in Uttar
Pradesh to ensure communities where women and children are vulnerable to exploitation are aware about
the issue of human trafficking, how to identify the risks and what to do.

Awareness raising meetings about human trafficking

Government entitlement camp for women from Varanasi red light area
Events and awareness
Event at Lords - Guria India founder & director, Ajeet
Singh, was invited to speak at Lords Cricket Ground
in London for an event hosted by the British Asian
Trust (BAT), Royal Founding Patron, His Royal
Highness The Prince of Wales, in order to take ahead
the fight against human trafficking. Ajeet spoke about
his experiences on the front-line of the fight against
trafficking, and the creation of Guria India’s successful
end-to-end model.
International cricketers joined the event including M.S.
Dhoni, Mark Ramprakash, Varun Aaron, Shane
Warne, Graeme Smith, Aaron Finch, Stuart Binny and
many more.
Ajeet with M.S. Dhoni

Water for Birds - watch the trailer for 'Water for Birds'
- a documentary being made about Guria: click link
here.
"The film can also have a ripple effect and take ahead
the issue of first working on the self and then working
on creating a more civilised world free from rape, child
prostitution and sex trafficking. Using art forms to work
on the self is important to connect and fall in love with
this entire existence, and thus shrink by default." Ajeet
Singh, Guria founder & director

Guria supporters from USA

A delegation of ten Guria India supporters from
the USA visited Guria to have first-hand
experience of Guria India's model, and find out
learnings and best practice from the team.

Volunteering
A huge thanks to all those who volunteered including through personal events or who donated to Guria, your
support is critical in enabling us to continue in our work. Some highlights from volunteering include:
Dimple Joshi from Rugby, England raised £2,238 for Guria. Well done Dimple! Dimple visited Guria in
India, and during this time gave a live dance performance during community events organised by INCAR,
as part of Christmas and Diwali celebrations.
A huge thank-you to Jignasa Brahmbhatt for raising nearly £950 for Guria in memory of his daughter
Tanvee - this will go a long way in eastern Uttar Pradesh towards supporting the children and women
Guria work with.
 Paris Business School (PBS) – members of the Paris School of Business volunteers at Guria India's
education centre in the red-light area of Varanasi. Thank you PSB for your support.

Paris Business School volunteers with children from NFE centre on a day
trip (above) Guria volunteer, Dimple Joshi, performing for Diwali (right)

Mother Teresa Award

Ajeet Singh, founder & director of Guria India, was honoured with the International Mother Teresa Award for
Social Justice 2019, and he was also the Keynote Speaker at the Harmony International Conference on
“Combating Contemporary Forms of Slavery” at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences(TISS). This Award is
unique because it is the only one, endorsed by Sr. Prema, the Superior General of the Missionaries of
Charity, Kolkata.
This year, along with Ajeet, also awarded were - Mr Kailash Satyarthi (Nobel laureate), Office for the Rescue
of Yazidis, Mr. Rob Williams (War Child UK), JEEVIKA, Free A Girl (Netherland), DAFOH (USA).
Previous recipients have included Ms. Malala Yousufzai, a Nobel laureate; H.H. The Dalai Lama, also a
Nobel laureate; the current Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo; Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir
Mohamad; former Deputy Speaker of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox and Aid
Groups like Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), the largest volunteer medical organisation
worldwide and the White Helmets, which provided aid to war-ravaged Syria.

Your support
The Guria team would like to say a huge thank you to all our supporters! Guria are a frontline charity
providing support to vulnerable woman and children, which leaves little time to raise attention for their work.
Not only funding, but international friendships and recognition are important to Guria. Your support in being
aware, spreading the word or raising funds is important. If you have ideas for awareness raising or
fundraising, please contact Sarah Wraight (Guria UK).

Santwana Manju of Guria, leads a meditation class at Guria’s NFE centre in the red-light area of Varanasi

For more information see: GuiraIndiaWebsite Guria UK Website Donations: JustGiving

GuriaFacebook GuriaBlogspot
Contact UK: sarahwraight@guria-uk.org or contact Guria India: info@guriaindia.org