Counter-Trafficking Efforts Recognized
One of India's greatest advocates and leaders in the prevention of human trafficking, CRS India partner Dr. Sunitha Krishan, traveled to Washington, D.C., in June 2006 to receive the international 2006 Perdita Huston Human Rights award.
Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, front left, receives the 2006 Perdita Huston Human Rights award from the Huston family.
Cofounder of Prajwala, an organization devoted to prevention of and rescue from human trafficking, Sunitha is beloved and revered by tens of thousands of rescued women across India. She is also on the hit list of the mafia-like gangs who have made India the world's largest and busiest source of human trafficking. Sunitha has been cunning, daring and effective in fighting their growth strategy and impeding their reach. Admittedly, though, she and the rest of the world have a long way to go.
At the Women's National Democratic Club in Washington, D.C., on June 1, however, Sunitha was recognized for how far she has already come. Sunitha received the human rights award from the family members of the late Perdita Huston, an author and journalist devoted to the plight of rural women, in whose memory the award was created. In presenting the award, the Huston family recognized Sunitha for the impact she has made on several, complex levels — from lifesaving prevention, rescue and rehabilitation to life-changing education, health care, vocational training, advocacy and law.
A Turning Point
When members of the Huston family hugged Sunitha after presenting her with the award, Sunitha shared words that captivated the entire audience. At 4 feet 7 inches tall, Sunitha is usually hard to spot in a crowd. She stood next to the podium so the audience could see her and started to tell her own story — that of being gang-raped at age 15 and then having to face the devastating reality of rejection, blame and injustice from her family, circle of friends, and community. It was a turning point that would lead her to devote every day of her life to preventing others from suffering a similar fate.
Sunitha's work is not warm and fuzzy. It is dangerous. She bears many scars — not from the horrific act of violence she endured as a teenager, but from the 17-plus times she has been attacked as an adult by those who want her to get, and stay, out of their business.
But they may underestimate their foe — Sunitha continues to stand strong and has many people behind her. Approximately 300 of them were at the award ceremony to applaud and commend her commitment and contributions to the fight against human trafficking. Tens of thousands are at her side every day as partners — partners like CRS, our donors, and a world of others equally committed to Sunitha's work and the plight to which she has devoted her life.
Eternal Flame
Sunitha and her partner, Brother Jose, created Prajwala, which means "eternal flame," in 1996 when they converted a vacated brothel into a small transitional school for children of prostitutes. Today, the organization works on all aspects of anti-trafficking with a large team of survivors as their full-time employees and partners. Programs include transitional shelters and drop-in centers for the children of prostitutes and trafficking survivors; psychosocial and economic interventions; vocational training and job placement; home care for HIV-positive survivors; community-based watchdog committees; antiretroviral treatment for survivors with HIV and AIDS; and extensive advocacy to bring about justice.
CRS India first began its partnership with Prajwala in 2000, on the research and publication of The Shattered Innocence, a policy report that became one of the most important lobbying tools for an anti-trafficking policy in India. It became law in India's most trafficked state — Andhra Pradesh. CRS partnered with the state government to popularize the policy through a massive campaign targeting adolescent girls. Today, CRS supports Prajwala's many programs and diverse scope of work.
