The Boarding School Saves Young Girls from Intergenerational Prostitution - Bihar, India
Through my photography, I aim to illuminate the profound impact this school has on the lives of these vulnerable girls, who, as the daughters of marginalized, low-caste Nat community women, have long been ensnared in the cycle of hereditary prostitution.
In Simraha, where the shadows of the sex trade loom, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya boarding school stands as a beacon of hope and liberation. Its mission is nothing short of extraordinary: to dismantle the cruel system of hereditary prostitution by providing these girls with education and empowerment. This mission, undertaken by the tireless efforts of Apne Aap NGO and supported by the Bihar Government, is a testament to the unwavering commitment to change.
Through my photography, I capture the essence of this transformative journey—a journey that begins with education as its cornerstone. Education is the liberating force that enables these girls to break free from the chains of sex trafficking. The school is a sanctuary where these girls are sheltered from the home-based brothels that were once their only surroundings. Without this refuge, they would have inevitably fallen into the same grim fate as their mothers.
My photography serves as a celebration of the resilience and strength of these young girls as they embrace the power of knowledge to reshape their destinies. It honors the dedication of Apne Aap NGO and the unwavering support of the Bihar Government, which serves as a champion in the battle against sex trafficking. Through my photography, I seek to convey their mission's urgency and their profound impact on these girls' lives.
In "Breaking Chains: Empowering Lives Through Education," I aspire to inspire viewers to reflect upon the profound potential of education and the remarkable change it can bring, even in the most challenging circumstances. These girls are not just survivors but beacons of hope, breaking free from the darkest of cycles. My photography aims to amplify their voices and stories, reminding us all that education is a beacon of light that can guide us out of the darkest places and into a brighter, more hopeful future.
Neeta Kumari getting ready for school
Neeta Kumari 13, spending her time with her friends at boarding school, this school keep the girls safe and away from home-based brothels that they were growing up in, otherwise, they would join their mothers and grandmothers in prostitution at, Simraha, Bihar, India, on 25 November 2018.
"Girls at play during weekends inside the school campus"
This school girls play at the hostel during weekends, had many girls not placed by Apne Aap NGO, they would have ended up like their mothers in prostitution, nearly 100 students currently getting support from NGO at, Simraha, Bihar, India, on 25 November 2018.
This school girls play at the hostel during weekends, had many girls not placed by Apne Aap NGO, they would have ended up like their mothers in prostitution, nearly 100 students currently getting support from NGO at, Simraha, Bihar, India, on 25 November 2018.
"Anjali Kumari shows her photo identification provided by the school"
All the girls supported by school provided identification card so it gives protection to save from traffickers, these girls are highly protected by Apne Aap staff and monitored strictly for their safety and protection from the trafficker, at Simraha, Bihar, India, on 25 November 2018.
All the girls supported by school provided identification card so it gives protection to save from traffickers, these girls are highly protected by Apne Aap staff and monitored strictly for their safety and protection from the trafficker, at Simraha, Bihar, India, on 25 November 2018.
Girls in the boarding school work for next day homework, for these girls it's the first time they are getting access to education in their family.
This school aims to break the cycle of hereditary prostitution provides a girl’s safe place to be educated at Simraha, Bihar, India, on 25 November 2018.
Jogbani lies on Indo - Nepal border, one of the poorest districts in India, has a customs checkpoint and traffickers find highly lucrative to lure and sell disadvantages girls to numerous hubs of sexual exploitation (brothel owners, pimps and various other pleasure dens) in cities and towns in India. This school, not far from the border with Nepal in the Indian state of Bihar, is part of a national program of girls’ boarding schools called Kasturba, Gandhi, Balika, Vidyalaya, intended specifically for minority groups. Founded by the non-profit organization Apne Aap, its supporters and the Bihar state government, the school aims to break the bonds of caste and inequality.
"India’s Last Girl First" this is a project of Aapne Aap NGO, through this project many girls getting an education, infant these girls don't like to stay with their parents, they feel safe staying in the boarding school
The Last Girl from the family escaped from the family prostitution and the first generation getting an education in the family.
The last girl re-gain control of her destiny. The last girl is poor, female, low-caste, and a teenager. Additionally, she may be the daughter or sister of a prostituted woman or a victim of child marriage or domestic servitude. She is preyed on by traffickers because of her lack of choices and forms the “supply.”
The girls get three meals a day at the boarding school
Girls get healthy meal three times in a day in the boarding school which is also supported by the local government, they are served food in shifts so as to accommodate all the children at Simraha, Bihar, India, on 25 November 2018.
These girls are very lucky to get a safe environment and three healthy meals a day and education, which is not possible to provide from their parents, these girls either they are trafficked or their life end with early marriage.
These girls are well disciplined and support each other and live as a family in the boarding school and break the caste discrimination.
Twelve-year-old Kushi from a very low caste community
Kushi wish to stay inside which she feels she is safe and she gets a three-day meal and she aims to become as a teacher, her father is working in the cattle farm. Many girls from this boarding school heading to the city getting higher education and some have ambition, avoid being caught up in the prostitution or young early marriage.
Some girls play inside the room, they break caste discrimination and build a strong bond with each other, interviewed girls they don't like to go home, they prefer to be in the boarding school.
Rights education helps girls to understand both their legal and human rights, so they can make good decisions and keep themselves safe.
Saleena is getting education now and her dream to become as a doctor serve her community. she belongs to Nat community, where mother was rescued from prostitution and supports her children to get education and to break awful hereditary prostitution at Simraha,Bihar,India,on 25 November 2018.
Nat caste has been trapped in a system of inter-generational prostitution and has had a history of being relegated to the margins of Indian society since the 1871s, when it was classified as a “criminal tribe” by British colonial rulers.
Right education which definitely helps innocent girls to understand both their legal and human rights, so they can make good decisions and keep themselves safe and stay away from traffickers. Like Bihar, other state governments in India should initiate these kinds of boarding schools or support to these underprivileged girls will definitely save many girls life, else their life will be in darkness.
Thousands of young girls in India and Nepal are sold for sex and imprisoned in urban brothels in Kolkata, New Delhi and Bombay and lives in the dark world.
In many cases, they are not paid or are held in debt bondage. Some go missing, and their families cannot trace them, the only weapon for the girls to escape from this trap is education. More children are sold into the flesh trade in India than in any other country.