EMPOWER PEOPLE is an NGO in India working to protect female victims of violence and mitigate post-violence trauma. EMPOWER PEOPLE is one of the pioneer organizations focusing on the issue of human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage.
What is also called "bride trafficking" affects a yet unknown number of girls, particularly from poor backgrounds, who are deceived and trafficked to be sold as brides. According to information gathered by EMPOWER PEOPLE, a middleman seeks an agreement on an arranged marriage with the family of the girls. Later those girls are transferred to another places where there is a high demand of brides, like Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan where they are known as "Paro" or "Molki" (literally perched woman).
The main focus of EMPOWER PEOPLE lies on awareness raising and sensitization trainings for law enforcement agencies. The organization is also offering direct victim support and assistance to women vulnerable to human trafficking and domestic violence.
EMPOWER PEOPLE is currently developing projects of community engagement and rehabilitation of trafficking victims in both source and destination areas in seven states of India.
A 16-year-old girl from West Bengal was allegedly held captive by a gang in the Indirapuram area here for over a fortnight. A man had brought her here on the pretext of providing her with a job. The gang allegedly tried to sell her off. However, she managed to escape from their clutches. Some apartment guards noticed her weeping outside Laxmi Apartment opposite Vaishali Sector-1. She was carrying a bag and could not speak or understand Hindi. The guards called some residents who talked to her. It was found that she hailed from West Bengal. A Bengali guard from a nearby apartment was called to interact with her. The girl said that her name was Kashmira Khatoon. She alleged that a man had brought her from West Bengal on pretext of getting her job. He had paid Rs 2,000 to her father. He then handed her to another man here. That man held her captive for over a fortnight in a room. He forced her to drink alcohol at night and dance before men. The gang was planning to sell her off in Andhra Pradesh. They allegedly shifted her to different places. The guards have handed her to the police. “We are trying to send her back to West Bengal to her parents. A manhunt has been launched to trace the gang members. But in absence of proper clues the accused were not traceable till late evening today. On the basis of the description provided by the girl, we are preparing computerised sketches of the gangsters. Her father is being contacted to know who had brought her to Ghaziabad,” said a police official. (http://www.tribuneindia.com/)