I can see a world where we all live;
“I raise my arms to the sky; on my knees I pray; I’m not afraid anymore;
Safe and free from all oppression; No more rape or incest, or abuse;
Women are not a possession”
Survivors from JVI’s partners, the Atulya Home (“Atulya” means precious and of great worth”) and Courage Homes, shared their stories through dance, poetry and song at the “Break the Chain ” event, expressing indignation against violence towards women. These non-profit charitable organizations exist to promote healing, transformation and wholeness for girls affected by trafficking and prostitution. Courage Homes was founded with legal assistance from JVI.
Dancing together to the tune of ‘Break the Chain’, these women and girls inspired everyone present at the event to applaud with pride and gratitude, and to sing together in solidarity. The attendees took a pledge to help end violence against the women and agreed to participate in breaking the chains of injustice in their society. Three girls from the Atulya Home supported by JVI participated in this event.
The performance covered various aspects of physical and emotional violence perpetuated by bonded labor, domestic servitude, sexual harassment and human trafficking. Tashi Coden, a legal consultant with JVI stated, “We attended the event to motivate and encourage the survivors, but left overjoyed and motivated. I am glad to witness the transformation of my friends here from being a victim to a real survivor. It is our privilege to work with these invisible heroes.”
To date, our legal team has been able to secure significant monetary compensation from the courts for several survivors. Currently, JVI’s lawyers are working on seven human trafficking cases on behalf of women and girls at the Atulya Home and Courage Homes. This event encouraged JVI to continue working diligently with our partners to provide support to these women and girls not only to receive further rehabilitation assistance but also to secure convictions of their offenders.
Hanif-ur-Rehman, Legal Consultant, JVI Project, said, “We rejoice to see the survivors empowered and fighting for their own rights. The journey with our friends at these homes is inspiring. No efforts have gone wasted, none.”
Previously, on February 14, 2013, the “One Billion Rising” campaign (www.onebillionrising.org) brought together people across the globe as they rose and danced to demand an end to violence against women and girls. The campaign called women and girls everywhere to break the silence, building a common voice of stories shared creatively. This “Break the Chain” event was inspired by that campaign
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