Human Trafficking - Humans Are Not For Sale

INTRODUCTION 

The United Nations defines human trafficking as, 

“the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”. 

It is estimated that twenty thousand people in India were victims of this heinous crime in the past year. It is a multi-billion business behind only drugs and arms trafficking. This sort of an illegal flesh trade is seen as a thriving and profitable business mainly because of its repetitive nature, wherein the humans can be bought and sold multiple times over and over. The advent of technology and advancements in the field of transportation and communication has made this illegal trade more appealing than ever. Masses of young children and women living in poverty and desperation can be lured away to a place thousands of miles away from their homes into bondage labor, sex trafficking etc. all without the hope of ever being rescued. Women and girls are kidnapped and trafficked all around the world for commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriages. Men and boys are kidnapped for bonded labor or to work as gigolos etc. 

CAUSES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

One of the main causes of human trafficking in India is the abject poverty. Around thirty percent of the Indian population still lives in acute poverty. This creates an opportunity for unscrupulous elements in the society to procure cheap or free labor. Young able bodied unemployed men desperately looking for work often fall into the trap wherein someone whisks them away to a foreign land with no rights and no freedom where they are forced to work all day with no pay and little food. The reason for sex trafficking is growing due to the increasing demand for women. Since ancient times, women have been looked at a pretty little things decorated for and used to pleasure men. This was the practice during colonial times, where rich kings often kept concubines for their sexual pleasure. Now, this practice has evolved into forced prostitution or sex trafficking. 

Girls as young as ten, are snatched away from the loving comfort of their homes and hidden away inside the dark kothas in the dingy lanes of brothels. There they are made to service as many as twenty men a day without a penny for the rest of their lives. The declining sex ratio in India can also be seen as a cause for bride trafficking in India. This trade is thriving not only in rural areas but also in urban areas. This is a hindrance to women and child development in India. There is a price for each girl and her owner then makes her work endlessly to recover this supposed debt from them. In most cases these girls are scouted by neighbors and relatives posing as well wishers wanting to help the girl in finding work to earn money and unsuspecting family members duped by the prospects of extra cash are talked into handing over their custody to these criminals only to never see them again. 

PROTECTIVE MEASURES 

Through the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA) 1956, the Indian government penalizes trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation, with a penalty of seven years to life. Section 366(A) and 372 of the Indian Penal Code, prohibits the kidnapping and selling of minors into prostitution respectively. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) 2012, is a special law to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. On May 2013, a bill was passed in India, rendering human trafficking a criminal offence. This decision was made as a result of an international outcry against the brutal Delhi gang rape of 2012.

Lakshyam is taking several measures and working tirelessly towards imparting education to underprivileged girls in various communities across the country. It is also working towards the development of women and children by imparting skills to them and creating avenues for them to be self-reliant.

Volunteer With Lakshyam to Support Child Rights & Underprivileged Children

Because of the need of the education sector, as India is a land to maximum no. of youths, one name that is rising high in this field is “Lakshyam”, a non-governmental organization established in 2009. They have opened centers for the education of the children in India across 3-5 states under its child welfare programme ‘Butterfly’ where the main focus is to literate those children whose parents cannot afford the school fees of government or private schools. They also provide a platform to the children to explore their talents by organizing certain competitions preparing them for this competitive world. In current days, many people are connecting with this organization and joining their hands for the education of the children. They have got many celebrities’ support and have been awarded with prominent titles and prizes for their productive work.

Lakshyam also provides free of cost tuition to those kids who lack behind in the schools. Very efficient and skilled teachers work for these schools at Lakshyam who provide teaching in a structured manner and handle them according to their age. With the concern for education, the organization also takes up other aspects of students by organizing health checkup and campaigns. This organization also engaged in the activities pertaining to the women empowerment (Rooh Women welfare Programs). 

They also arrange cultural activities for the underprivileged children that make them confident and presentable.Some educational touring programmes are also organized by them for the underprivileged children that make them understand the possibilities of real world and also helps these kids to understand the future. The organization is working at its best, changing the life of the small kids rising them as the future of the country with new potentials and skills.

Volunteers Programs in India

Here's to all volunteers, those dedicated people who believe in all work and no pay.

Thank You Vidhi Gandhi and Alice Preethi for your kind words. By teaching and encouraging young innocent minds you have contributed your bit in ensuring their better future. Your #appreciation and #enthusiasm is what gives us the #motivation to keep working towards the #betterment of the #society. We hope volunteers like you who are full of #zeal keep helping us in bringing a change and we wish that you.

Be a Part of our Volunteer Programs, Contact Us Below

Address:
A 53 , Ground Floor, Opposite More Store,
Near Kaushambi Metro Station,
Ghaziabad,
Uttar Pradesh 201014
Website: http://www.lakshyam.co.in/volunteer-program/
Like Us on Facebook: LakshyamNGO
Follow on us @lakshyamngo

Lakshyam NGO- Volunteering Program

India as a country provides many opportunities to its youth to come up and volunteer for various causes. It offers a wide range of volunteer programs in diverse fields be it healthy, education, sanitation etc. 

Several of these programs come up in civil societies when government fails to address a particular cause. One of the most integral parts of these civil societies is the NGOs which work in the direction of humanitarian causes. These NGOs work in lieu of governments and offer largest number of volunteer programs. 

Lakshyam is one such NGO which provides a diverse range of volunteer programs to people above 18 years of age. The volunteers are chosen on the basis of the knowledge they possess about these grass root societies as well as their tolerance towards poor living conditions and unhealthy slum surroundings. Also, a volunteer should be sensitive towards their economic conditions and abstain from any kind of discrimination. 

Founded in 2004, Lakshyam aims to target the underprivileged sections of the society by socio-economic means and providing educational aid to these kids. It’s not only helping in human resource development but also tries to bring out the hidden realities of these metropolitan states where still a section of people is being marginalised and pushed backward because of lack of resources.

Being a volunteer at Lakshyam and having all the insights of how the organisation work, the efficiency and the pace at which it is helping these slums to grow is self evident. Lakshyam has also won many awards and has been able to consolidate itself as one of the most prestigious and well organised NGO. It also has certain celebrities associated with it who in turn are helping the organisation to work holistically. Some of its main efforts are in the direction of building a toy library, Rooh which is a women welfare programme and Butterfly which is a child welfare programme.

Work as a Volunteer in India

volunteers at Lakshyam

India has a great share in volunteer work all over the world today. Volunteerism is really an appreciable way of partaking in tackling development challenges worldwide. Everyone can contribute their time, skills and knowledge through volunteer action; be it through imparting education, social and environmental awareness or as a community or even coordinator, there are multiple choices. An effort, as small as spending time helping others, can go a long way in bringing change in lives of many. The sheer feeling of accomplishment or joy that you get by lending a helping hand to people and organizations can be quite overwhelming. 

In fact, every helping hand is helping in extending to a more socially aware and compassionate society. Individual citizens also have an important role to play through volunteering. Every day, individuals are engaged in development initiatives through volunteer actions, both large and small, in an effort to improve conditions for others and themselves. 

India also has a lot of scope for volunteer work as it is still struggling to make basic amenities available for a large section of the population. To look at it from another angle, India also has enormous potential for growth as most of its population falls in the younger age bracket which is has to potential to bring laurels for the country. So volunteering opportunities don’t only exist for Indian nationals but also for foreigners, who can volunteer for different kinds of work. Right now, you could volunteer in India to help underprivileged populations gain access to better education, healthcare, human rights, and infrastructure. there are many programs in India that provide you with the opportunity to participate in projects dealing with health, community development, child education, disadvantaged residents and many more. They aim to improve the living conditions of the locals in India and need your support for doing so. 

Five Form Categorization of Volunteering: 

1. Self-help and mutual aid: people with shared problems, challenges and conditions working together to address or ameliorate them. 
2. Philanthropy and service to others: It typically involves an organization recruiting volunteers to provide some kind of service to others and is the type of activity which most people recognize as volunteering. 
3. Governance: volunteers who provide leadership and direction to groups or organizations. 
4. Advocacy or campaigning: collective action aimed at securing or preventing change which includes campaigning against developments seen to be damaging to the environment. 
5. Expressive Behaviors: expressing their interest and passion in a particular field through volunteering. 

There are obviously the perks of volunteering that include: 

• Gaining new experiences and insights 
• Creating connections with people 
• Giving back and helping others 
• Building career options by enhancing your CV, and 
• When volunteering at some new and unfamiliar place, there is also the added advantage of getting to discover new places. 

But more importantly, volunteers are integral to achieving the aims which the process of community development is seeking to realize. Volunteering is one of the main conduits through which the principles and values of community development can be implemented. Volunteers as individuals and groups contribute to the process of community development “by committing time and energy for the benefit of society and the community, the environment or individuals outside or in addition to one’s immediate family. It is undertaken freely and without concern for financial gain.” 

You may not notice the effects immediately, but they are present everywhere bringing change. 

When it comes to service work, it’s important to realize that, similar to an actual career, not all volunteer positions fit everyone. It is one thing to log for hours organizing files or fundraising, but the actual goal should be maximizing your utility. To get real joy out of volunteering, so that even you can give your best, don’t just settle for an organization just to rack up the hours. There’s a lot more to volunteering than that! 

Lakshyam NGO- Hands to Hearts

It’s important to choose an organization that clicks with you and India offers many such opportunities. Out of many organizations that offer volunteering opportunities and is spread across the country, there is Lakshyam spread over 11 states across India that is essentially working for the welfare of under-privileged families, education of children from such families and women empowerment. People from different states and countries can volunteer in the different branches of the country. It has succeeded in touching well over 18,000 lives in these 11 states directly benefitting them. It has a lot of projects which require volunteers apart from various other means that can be taken up as well. For example, one can also teach children Hindi, English, Computer as well as art and craft, dramatics or anything that one excels in to the children at their centre, who come from impoverished backgrounds. One can also donate or contribute to Lakshyam in cash or kind. 

Indeed volunteering can rake up a lot of opportunities for one seeking to gain new experiences, create new connections, give back to society, help others or even build career options; and as a perk of volunteer work in India with its vivid diversity, it ensures a life-enriching consummation with the local cultures. 

Volunteering Opportunities- Volunteering Programs in India

Volunteering in India: Opportunities and Programs

In the recent times, there has been a consistent rise in the number of volunteer programs in India. It is not that it is only the number of NGOs that are going up; requiring more and more labor, but the volunteering behaviour of people has also been on the rise. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges worldwide. Everyone can contribute their time, skills and knowledge through volunteer action. 

An effort, as small as spending time helping others, can go a long way in bringing change in lives of many. The sheer feeling of accomplishment or joy that you get by lending a helping hand to people and organizations can be quite overwhelming. 

As a volunteer in India, you can contribute as :

• An educationalist
• A community coordinator
• A healthcare services consultant
• An awareness activist
• A child specialist
• A self-employment coordinator
• A caretaker for disabled & orphaned children
• An environmentalist

There are obviously the perks of volunteering that include gaining new experiences and insights, creating connections with people, giving back and helping others as well as building career options by enhancing your CV; but when volunteering at some new and unfamiliar place, there is also the added advantage of getting to discover new places.

Yes, that means you can travel and make a difference at the same time.

So if you are someone who is fond of travelling or wants to volunteer but doesn’t want to be stuck at one place, enter voluntourism: a combination of volunteering and tourism. Some believe that it enables the modern, knowledgeable traveller to give back in a whole new way—working at orphanages, helping to rehabilitate refugees or practicing wildlife conservation. So, there are many programs in India that provide you with the opportunity to participate in projects dealing with health, community development, child education, disadvantaged residents and many more. They aim to improve the living conditions of the locals in India and need your support for doing so.


Lakshyam is one such NGO that provides volunteering opportunities and enriching experiences to those who want to learn and are also willing to share his or her knowledge and experience. It is registered as trust under the Indian Trust Act 1882 vide registration No. 393 dated 3rd Feb 2012 with amalgamation of Lakshyam, a society; registered under Societies Registration Act 1860 vide registration number 440 dated 23rd March 2005.

It strives to bring the impoverished sections of the society out of their misery by carrying out welfare activities and programs for child education, women empowerment etc. It has over 4 projects working towards child welfare, women empowerment as well as slum development; the aim is the holistic development of the poor.

Many of its programs have been able to or started to connect and reach out to them:

• “Rooh-Awakening Women’s soul” was started to educate the women of India and empower them with the confidence to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• “Butterfly-Child Welfare and Education” provides Remedial Education Centers for students, in order to fill the gap in the government education system.
• “Lakshyam Toy Library” aims at delivering toys and books from the privileged kids to the not-so-privileged ones.
• “Abhyaas” undertakes educating the girl child plus recycling paper to make notebooks.
• “Three Musketeers” connects Lakshyam to the youth of the country.

These projects will not only help the less fortunate but also help you as a volunteer to know another culture, may be another language and make new friends for life.

As it is spread over 11 states across India, while working as a volunteer in local projects, you also get to know and discover the country through excursions. Thus, volunteering programs in India promise a mountain-load of opportunities to learn something new as well to contribute to the society in numerous ways. @lakshyamngo