For me, one of the most exciting things about our new Learning Center (in Kolkata’s Sonagachi red light area) is the focus on computer training and digital literacy. Because Our Girls Want IT! In the early years, HFC offered training and employment for trafficking survivors in rescue shelters, mostly in artisan crafts (our name was … Read more
View PDF version of 2023 Trip Report and images here> In February, I traveled to India and Nepal with other staff and members of our community to check in on programs and spend time with the women and girls. This time, unlike the trip report I normally write, I want to share some very personal … Read more
What a month! From day one, we have had such adventures and experiences. From sari clad puja pandal hopping, prepping and serving multiple lunches for 25 American guests, prepping and serving food for 100 guests at the inauguration ceremony for the HFC training center and sending the ladies on a three day Baking Adventure; it … Read more
I have just returned from a 3 week trip to India and Nepal. This was my first chance to visit India in over two years! It was a heart-opening experience that inspired many new ideas and insights. This past year has been a time of tremendous change and growth for HFC. We are all feeling … Read more
Caste and Human Trafficking Caste discrimination affects an estimated 260 million people worldwide, the vast majority of whom live in South Asia. Within the caste system, the Dalits or untouchables are believed to be inherently impure, such that it is unacceptable to be in close physical proximity with them. Touching anything they may have touched … Read more
The Role of Tech in Human Trafficking by Her Future Research Fellow Richa Gupta That technology has made our lives infinitely easier and miles more convenient is an indisputable fact; but with the good must come the bad—with the benefits must come the darkness. Technology is increasingly being employed and abused for the purposes of … Read more
Child Marriage in India – Another Form of Human Trafficking. by Her Future Research Fellow Richa Gupta, Stanford University According to Girls Not Brides, India has the highest number of child brides in the world. The legal age for marriage is 18 for women and 21 for men—so child marriage occurs when people below these … Read more
Pain Won’t Be Her Only Story By Sarah Annay, Her Future Communications Director and creator of Vision for Empowerment workshops. We first started offering Vision for Empowerment workshops in 2015. What started as an employment exploration project has turned into something even more empowering—a workshop that gives young women and girls a voice in Kolkata, through … Read more
The Physical and Psychological Consequences of Human Trafficking by Her Future Research Fellow Richa Gupta India is a beautiful country, boasting incredible diversity, natural landscapes, monuments, and colors. But with all this beauty and goodness comes the inevitable bad—and one such issue is the scourge of human trafficking. The United Nations has defined human trafficking … Read more
How to Move Forward When All Seems Lost Last month, I visited our projects in India and Nepal for three weeks. As always, I was awestruck by the courage and resilience of survivors. Here are just a few of the remarkable women and children I got to spend time with… SARITA: At the age of 14, … Read more