Sir Ewan Harper

Sir Ewan Harper speaking at “Breaking Chains”, An event to commemorate the 20th year of Bombay Teen Challenge on 8th November, 2010.

Dr Ravi Zacharias

Dr Ravi Zacharias speaking at “Breaking Chains”, An event to commemorate the 20th year of Bombay Teen Challenge on 8th November, 2010.

Show of support

Leaders in the Congress show their solidarity and support for this important movement to stop sexual slavery and help restore dignity and purpose to the victims of this trade.

KAMATHIPURA. ONCE IN YOU ARE NEVER OUT.

Kamathipura is a maze of buildings originally created by the British for reasons best left to our imaginations. While independence did come to India, hundreds and thousands of girls are yet to find freedom from the bondage of sex trafficking. The tragedy of which is disguised in the normalcy of its bustling streets. But above the shops are an array of windows framing the faces of women lost without hope, as they appear and disappear like fading portraits. It is behind these innocuous walls, girls are ‘broken in’ like animals and locked in tiny dark cells for many years, the doors open only to those who perpetrate this evil. Kamathipura is a microcosm of what is a rising global phenomenon of sexual slavery.

Cigarettes are lit before the act begins.

The revolting smell of burning flesh is lost in the sweet and sour mix of sewage and spice all around. Scalding hot water is thrown on faces of little girls lying on cold beds. Iron rods crush not just bodies but fragile spirits. And chains overwhelm the natural resistance to being violated relentlessly by multiple men. And these are just some of the less colorful methods of torture employed by pimps and madams to bring these innocent girls to their knees. Their cries unheard by millions like us who are unaware of these unimaginable acts.

WHO SELLS KIDS TO STRANGERS? PARENTS, FOR STARTERS.

Crushing poverty makes parents commit the heinous act of selling their own kids. And then, there are close friends and relatives, selling a dream of riches and success to girls who haven’t had the courage to even imagine a comfortable place to sleep. The chain of people involved and the marketing machine behind a single transaction of a bonded sexual slave is as efficient as any business firm. But the act is not done. A whole ensemble of politicians and lawmakers pave the way for these transactions. It’s a loop that never ends. Someone has to break that cycle of horror.

THERE ARE NO RECYCLING BINS FOR USED 15 YEAR OLD GIRLS.

Innocent little girls whisked away from homes are molested and violated by local men and affluent arabs,repeatedly, in a room without windows and shutout from sunlight for years at a stretch. Once rescued from these horrible conditions, the girls continue to relive their nightmare, their spirits and flesh scarred by the years of relentless abuse. Sometimes the aftermath of the rescue more challenging than the life they lived. The prison imposed by an unforgiving society weighs even greater than the trauma of being exploited. Girls are shunned and kept away from the mainstream, even families look the other way in fear of the social stigma of harboring a victim of sexual slavery. The women live in suspended animation between two worlds of abuse and stigma. But there’s hope for these unfortunate ones. Will you join us to help Set Beautiful Free?

“Bombay Teen Challenge is rescuing women and children from exploitation and giving them safety and hope. The last two decades of work is only the beginning. We pray with you for the elimination of sex slavery in India.”

“I have had the privilege of traveling with Bombay Teen Challenge and some of the things I saw broke my heart – pictures of women and children in cages. At times I felt overwhelmed but I was so touched by how Bombay Teen Challenge has responded to this. I am grateful to you. I know some of these children will walk on higher places in sunnier roads of life because of what you have done.”

“I urge the people of Mumbai to gather around the leadership of Devaraj and say ‘enough of that’ and create an even better impression of Mumbai and get rid of the cages.”

“The work of Bombay Teen Challenge is saving lives. You can see changed lives as you go through their program, as you go through the night care shelter and see the children that have been rescued from the streets. I know, I have experienced this as a partner with Bombay Teen Challenge.”

THE SCARS MAY BE UGLY. BUT THEIR LIVES ARE BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.

After rescue from sexual slavery comes the process of restoring and rehabilitating the unfortunate victims. The idea is as simple as it is ingenious – surround these girls with people who care and build them up from the inside out. To see them as people who have something to live for again, not as slaves with a price tag. ‘Set Beautiful Free’ is a movement to help achieve that goal. To raise awareness, support and activate the lives of a whole generation of girls who can see themselves as beautiful again. Will you join us?