Sunitha Krishnan: The Warrior Against Human Trafficking
“I am here as a voice of the victims and survivors of human trafficking” - Sunitha Krishnan
An unsung hero, known for working against human trafficking.
She was born in 1972, into a Palakkad Malayali family in Bangalore. Her dedication towards social work goes back a long way, when she started teaching dance to mentally challenged children at the age of eight, and running schools in slums for poor children when she was 12 years old.
At the age of 15, she was gang-raped by 8 men and beaten up so badly that she was partially deaf. This dreadful incident enraged her over the years and instilled a spirit to fight and humiliate the rapists. Rather than getting shattered into pieces, the torture and ill-treatment made her rise from the ashes and pave her way to starting a successful organization named ‘Prajwala’.
“What affected me more was the way society treated me, the way people looked at me. Nobody questioned why those guys did it. They questioned why I went there, and why my parents gave me freedom. And I realized that what happened to me was a one-time thing. But for many people, it was a daily thing.” —
Sunitha Krishnan
So as responsible citizens of India, let us change our attitude and behavior towards the victim. Rather than making them feel guilty, shameful, and immoral, and criticizing them for what happened, try to embrace them for their courage that they survived through all these harsh circumstances.
Just imagine the victims getting haunted by brutal events every second in their lives, that mental torture is worse than murder. It may be easy for us to judge but it takes a lot of effort for them to heal. Try to respect and accept them for who they are with your whole heart. Each and every victim should never be afraid of raising their voice, though many will try to suppress it. Victim-blaming is one of the major reasons that very few cases of rape are reported to authorities.
Sunitha’s PRAJWALA Achievement
The main aim behind the prajwala was to battle sexual exploitation by traffickers and support rape victims to rebuild their lives through rehabilitation services. She faced a lot of threats and even physical assaults, but still, she was adamant in her mission. Prajwala has helped the police in rescuing over 24000 women and girls from sex slavery, many of whom are HIV positive.
The organization helps girls and women by providing them with a safe environment for healing from depression, isolation, and post-traumatic stress. They also aid them in getting a good education, vocational skills, and a healthy lifestyle. Many of the victims have now become experts in various fields like carpentry, photography, software designing, welding, etc.
The organization has also produced the film “Naa Bangaaru Talli” which is the first-ever Telugu film to win 3 national awards and 5 international awards. This film is based on a true story of sex trafficking and is directed by Rajesh Touchriver(Sunitha Krishnan’s husband).
It’s truly miraculous how she turned her thoughts into actions despite knowing that she would confront many adversities.
Campaigns Launched By Prajwala
- Men Against Demand (MAD)with the slogan “Real Men Don’t Buy Sex “-The campaign aims to motivate men to become participants in this fight against sex trafficking by abolishing its demand.
- Swaraksha: It is the first-ever survivor-led anti-human trafficking caravan in the world to create awareness of this global threat.
During these campaigns, documentary films were presented, debates were held to alert societies on how the network of human trafficking operates to trap people and victims shared their stories with the hope that no other person goes through all those sufferings as they had.
It was very successful in its attempt to counter trafficking.
“I think we need to redirect our attention from the women to the men,”– Sunitha Krishnan.
Very true, this exploitation will never end until the attitude of men towards looking at a woman’s body as something that can be used and thrown, changes.
Men should start respecting women’s boundaries and understand that every girl or woman is equally stronger and independent. Boys from an early age should be taught to respect and value every girl or woman.
Conclusion
Sunitha Krishnan was awarded India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri in 2016.
We should be grateful that real-life heroes like ” Sunitha Krishnan ” exist in this world and inspire millions through her exemplary deeds. The way she accomplished her mission by rescuing women and young girls from heinous crimes and building a beautiful life for them, is nothing short of a miracle.
