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.“Besides, the detention of several of Kandhamal girls and women in cities as far as Hyderabad of Andhra Pradesh makes us apprehend that the criminal elements have started preying on the hapless women of the district,” Father Ajaya Kumar Singh, a social worker and human rights activist of Bhubaneswar, said.
Last two months 38 girls were rescued by helpline coordinated by various church organisations as they were being trafficked, he added.
Inter-denominational network of churches in Orissa and other States have been formed to curb the frightening discovery of trafficking of Kandhamal teenage girls and unmarried young women, said Nicolas Barla, a Christian lawyer in Bhubaneswar.
The large-scale displacement of last two years, life in refugee camps, and breakdown of many family units under pressure of poverty have aggravated the situations.
There were 16 workshops to facilitate 717 women leaders to manage crisis an develop leadership in the post conflict scenario.
According to Father Singh, over 2500 most needy women and girls children were provided with cloths. A group of 15 strong women leaders are being trained over a year on barefoot media and leadership skills.
Youth are the worst hit in the communal riot. The violence saw the youth unemployed. They were helplessly searching for justice and livehoods. There were series of programmes organized to reunite and rebuild the communities.
“The trauma of women and children spending weeks in jungles and relief camps without security and privacy was a nightmare. There were signs of stress and depressions. More than 35 serious cases that required medical attention. The only saving grace for the affected persons is their belongingness to the community where they could share their fears and depressions,” said Augustine Singh, a Christian psychologist, who assists the people affected in the riots. Source
Posted in: News
