Govt launches pilot project for victims of trafficking, commercially exploited women

The Delhi government on Wednesday launched its first-ever pilot project in Delhi of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) scheme for victims of trafficking, sex workers and commercially exploited women in Rohini Court. The project will be implemented in the North-west district of Delhi with the help of NGOs working in the field. 

Setting the context, Juhi Jain, Senior Programme Officer, CFAR emphasised that the main objective of the Pilot Project is to empower marginal community to not only demand but also avail all social entitlements as a right and not as a dole. “We hope that this Pilot Project will help in changing the culture of both institutions providing the scheme and the community who are entitled to social development,” said Jain, Special Secretary to District Legal Services Authority.

Sanjeev Jain said: “Given the deep-seated gender inequality and the social exclusion of sections of women such as sex workers, it is essential that we work concertedly for the inclusion and mainstreaming of marginalised women.”  He further added that the mediating organisations Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and networks such as Savera, Sewa and AINSW should work together to ensure the success of this Pilot Project.  “If any scheme has to succeed truly and in its entirety it must be actively availed and owned by the community in need of such entitlements,” he emphasised. The acting District Judge Swaran Kanta Sharma, and Puneet Pahwa, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), North-West were also present in the function. 

As a first step, the team of community researchers will be involved in doing a need assessment among 600 respondents from seven settlements to understand their knowledge and their experience in accessing social benefits. This two day training aims to help the participants to have a better understanding of the various schemes and the trainers will be officials from key departments and civil society experts. This will help the community researchers to effectively administer the need assessment study.