Geetanjali Babbar

Last updated

Geetanjali Babbar is the founder and director of a non-profit named Kat-Katha that works to empower and liberate sex workers in brothels of the largest red light area known as G.B. Road of Delhi. [1]

Contents

Education and early years

Geetanjali graduated with honours from Maharaja Agrasen College, Delhi University with a degree in journalism and has a post-graduation in development communications from Jamia Milia Islami University. [2] [3] She received a Gandhi Fellowship in 2010, [3] a two-year leadership program. [4] and 2013 Laureate Global Fellowship. [5]

While studying, she was involved with National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) where she got a chance to closely work with eunuchs. [2]

Kat-Katha

While working with the National AIDS Control Organisation, she visited Delhi's GB Road for the first time and got an opportunity to meet sex workers. [2] She learned that these sex workers were made to serve 20-40 customers in a day, and that the women urgently needed a support system to talk about their personal lives and issues apart from gaining safe sex information. She refused high-profile job offers [6] to set up Kat-Katha that aims to improve the lives of the sex workers in Delhi's infamous GB Road red light area. [7]

She helps them nurture their dreams, educate, and enrich their community. She encourages them to join mainstream life by helping them learn arts like stitching, embroidery, painting and motivates them to explore alternate life choices.

Today, Kat-Katha serves 3,600-4,000 sex workers and teaches them a new way of life. Her organisation has 12 teachers from well-known colleges for its educational program and is taking care of 10-12 brothels. With the help of Kat-katha, 3 women are successfully working as tailors, along with 26 sex workers and 21 children who are being given quality education.

In addition to the training, the center also provides safe zones for the women and their children. Kat-Katha also helps children of these women to spend their childhood out of the gloomy world. She believes that community participation is at the very core of this initiative. [8] [9]

She spoke at TEDx Talk and was the on-air contest winner (Theme-Delhi ke Heroes) at Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM's 'FLAT 983'.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priyanka Gandhi</span> Indian politician

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is an Indian politician and the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi, and granddaughter of Feroze and Indira Gandhi, making her a member of the politically prominent Nehru-Gandhi family. She is also a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Thailand</span>

Prostitution in Thailand is not itself illegal, but public solicitation for prostitution is prohibited if it is carried out "openly and shamelessly" or "causes nuisance to the public". Due to police corruption and an economic reliance on prostitution dating back to the Vietnam War, it remains a significant presence in the country. It results from poverty, low levels of education and a lack of employment in rural areas. Prostitutes mostly come from the northeastern (Isan) region of Thailand, from ethnic minorities or from neighbouring countries, especially Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. In 2019, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated the total population of sex workers in Thailand to be 43,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharaja Agrasen College</span>

Maharaja Agrasen College accredited with NAAC `A` Grade is a college of the University of Delhi, located in Vasundhara Enclave, National Capital Region of Delhi.

Sonagachi is a neighbourhood in Kolkata, India, located in North Kolkata near the intersection of Jatindra Mohan Avenue with Beadon Street and Sovabazar, about one kilometer north of the Marble Palace area. Sonagachi is among the largest red-light districts in Asia and the world with several hundred multi-storey brothels residing more than 16,000 commercial sex workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in India</span> Overview of the legality and practice of prostitution in India

Prostitution is legal in India, but a number of related activities including soliciting, kerb crawling, owning or managing a brothel, prostitution in a hotel, child prostitution, pimping and pandering are illegal. There are, however, many brothels illegally operating in Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, and Nagpur, among others. UNAIDS estimate there were 657,829 prostitutes in the country as of 2016. Other unofficial estimates have calculated India has roughly 3 million prostitutes. India is widely regarded as having one of the world's largest commercial sex industry. It has emerged as a global hub of sex tourism, attracting sex tourists from wealthy countries. The sex industry in India is a multi-billion dollar one, and one of the fastest growing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadira Babbar</span> Indian theatre actress, director and actress

Nadira Babbar is an Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute, a known name in Hindi theatre in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geetanjali Shree</span> Indian writer, born 1957

Geetanjali Shree, also known as Geetanjali Pandey, is an Indian Hindi-language novelist and short-story writer based in New Delhi, India. She is the author of several short stories and five novels. Her 2000 novel Mai was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award in 2001, while its English translation by Nita Kumar was published by Niyogi Books in 2017. In 2022, her novel Ret Samadhi (2018), translated into English as Tomb of Sand by Daisy Rockwell, won the International Booker Prize. Aside from fiction, she has written critical works on Premchand.

Prostitution in Kolkata is present in different forms and Kolkata's sex industry is one of the largest in Asia. Prostitution may be brothel-based or non-brothel based as in the case of call girls. India is regarded as having one of the largest commercial sex trades globally. Kolkata has many red-light districts, out of which Sonagachi is the largest red-light district in Asia with more than 50,000 commercial sex workers.

Prostitution in Ecuador is legal and regulated, as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18, registered, and works from a licensed brothel. Prostitution is widespread throughout the country. Many brothels and prostitutes operate outside the regulatory system and the regulations have been less strictly enforced in recent years. 25,000 prostitutes were registered in the year 2000. In 2007 it was estimated that 70% of the prostitutes in the country were from Colombia. The country attracts Colombian prostitutes as the currency is the US$ rather than the unstable Colombian peso. UNAIDS estimate there to be 35,000 prostitutes in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Pakistan</span> Overview of the legality and practice of prostitution in Pakistan

Prostitution in Pakistan is a taboo culture of sex-trade that exists as an open secret but illegal. Prostitution is largely based in organisational setups like brothels or furthered by individual call girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Bangladesh</span> Sex work and its regulation in Bangladesh

Prostitution is legal and regulated in Bangladesh. Prostitutes must register and state an affidavit stating that they are entering prostitution of their own free choice and that they are unable to find any other work. Bangladeshi prostitutes often suffer poor social conditions and are frequently socially degraded.

G.B. Road,Garstin Bastion Road, is a road running from Ajmeri Gate to Lahori Gate in Delhi, India. It is a large red-light district. It has several hundred multi-storey brothels and there are estimated to be over 1,000 sex workers. It is lined with two or three-storey buildings that have shops on ground floor. About twenty of these buildings have about 100 brothels on the first floor that open at night after the shops at ground level close. It is the biggest red light area in Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunitha Krishnan</span> Indian social activist

Sunitha Krishnan is an Indian social activist and chief functionary and co-founder of Prajwala, a non-governmental organization that rescues, rehabilitates and reintegrates sex-trafficked victims into society. She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geetanjali Misra</span>

Geetanjali Misra is the co-founder and executive director of Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action, a women's rights and non-governmental organization based in New Delhi. Geetanjali has worked at an activist, grant-making and policy levels on issues of sexuality, reproductive health, gender, human rights and gender-based violence. Presently, she is on the Amnesty International Gender Task Force, Spotlight Civil Society reference group and a board member of Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.

Vidyaben Shah was an Indian social worker and activist known for her work with children, women and the elderly in India. While she was already serving as Vice-President, she was appointed the first non-officio President of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975. She has held several leading positions in the field of social welfare since the 1940s. Vidyaben Shah died at the age of 97 on 19 June 2020 at her residence in Delhi, her son Mihir Shah confirmed the news of Vidyaben Shah death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarla Behn</span> English Gandhian social activist

Sarala Behn was an English Gandhian social activist whose work in the Kumaon region of India helped create awareness about the environmental destruction in the Himalayan forests of the state. She played a key role in the evolution of the Chipko Movement and influenced a number of Gandhian environmentalists in India including Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Bimala behn and Sunderlal Bahuguna. Along with Mirabehn, she is known as one of Mahatma Gandhi's two English daughters. The two women's work in Garhwal and Kumaon, respectively, played a key role in bringing focus on issues of environmental degradation and conservation in independent India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Nepal</span>

Agroforestry, Basic Health, and Cooperative Nepal is a nonprofit, non governmental organisation working in Nepal that focuses on women's rights and works against human trafficking in Nepal. Created in 1987, ABC Nepal was among the first Non Governmental Organisations established in Nepal. It was registered soon after the introduction of Nepalese multiparty democracy in 1991. The president of the organisation is Durga Ghimire.

Laila Tyabji is an Indian social worker, designer, writer, and craft activist. She is one of the founders of Dastkar, a Delhi-based non governmental organization, working for the revival of traditional crafts in India. She was honored by the Government of India in 2012 with the Indian civilian award of Padma Shri. She is the daughter of late Badruddin Tyabji, ICS, who was a senior Indian civil servant and diplomat.

Radhika Chandiramani is the founder of TARSHI, a New Delhi–based NGO that works on issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights. She is a clinical psychologist, writer and editor. Her published works on sexuality and human rights have been covered in media and scholarly reviews. Chandiramani received the MacArthur Fellowship in the year 1995 for leadership development. She is also the recipient of the 2003 Soros Reproductive Health and Rights Fellowship from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meena Seshu</span> Activist for sex workers rights

Meena Seshu is an activist for sex workers' rights. She is the founder of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) SANGRAM which is aimed at empowering sex workers. She created Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad (VAMP), a collective of people in sex work. Seshu is based in Sangli, Maharashtra,and SANGRAM and VAMP work in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

References

  1. ↑ Pandit, Ambika (16 August 2015). "At Delhi's GB Road, finding a new hope for freedom". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Digital Empowerment Foundation | Geetanjali Babbar". Digital Empowerment Foundation. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Geetanjali Babbar". Gandhi Fellowship. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "Gandhi Fellowship Prospectus 2016–2018" (PDF). Gandhi Fellowship. pp. 1, 12.
  5. ↑ "2013 Laureate Global Fellow Gitanjali Babbar". YouthActionNet. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Geetanjali Babbar (Social Activist), Delhi". www.redrickshawrevolution.in. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Delhi woman wins flat via radio show - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "How One Woman's Love Is Transforming Delhi's Brothels, by Audrey Lin". www.dailygood.org. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Gitanjali Babbar -The legendary woman who thought for the women who are considered as garbage of our society". A Tribute to the great Heroes of India. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.