The fast growing flesh trade, commercial sexual exploitation & trafficking of women & children is one of the major causes in the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. Some sections of the society have alarmingly high infection rates. This includes sex workers (SW), men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDU). They are stigmatized and discriminated against the society. On top of the already existing social stigma against SW, MSM, and IDU, association with AIDS and poverty contributes to the additional layers of discrimination.

Even among them, the most pathetic conditions are that of the victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The society terms prostitutes as criminals. They are depressed, hated and detained in brothels, hotels & lodges for flesh trade. When the victims succumb to the deadly diseases like AIDS, they are thrown on roads and they nearly die a dog’s death, unwept and unmourned.

Snehalaya, through it's snehajyoth project is working for these victims of commercial sexual exploitation & trafficking in  and around Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) is being provided to more than 1500 HIV infected patients at half the cost of treatment. Snehalaya also runs day and night care centers for children in these areas, manages women's small saving groups, conducts regular counselling and distributes contraceptives.  Snehalaya frequently rescues minors from these red light areas.

Supported by Pathfinder International’s Muktha project, Snehalaya runs dispensaries for sexually exploited women in the red light areas of Ahmednagar, Kopargaon, Shrirampur, Shevgaon and Jamkhed. 

Muktha Approach

Mukta, meaning freedom is the name chosen by the local population to represent the essence of the project that not only provides a package of comprehensive health services but also powers them to gain greater control over their lives. Mukta project addresses the problem, holistically by providing

Medical Services: Providing comprehensive health services with a focus on STI reduction. The local population is involved in clinic management as paramedics and community health volunteers.

Enabling Environment: Advocacy with the police, media and government services to obtain social entitlements help to create an enabling environment

Outreach and Community Mobilization: Peer Educators are the pillars of the outreach component. These trained members promote messages on STI prevention, condom use. They also encourage their peers to undergo monthly health check-ups.

Muktha project is supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Avahan Initiative

Reach

Snehalaya is working with the women and children in all the red light areas of Ahmednagar District.
In Addition to different urban slums and red light areas within the city, Snehalaya manages Muktha centers in many small towns of Ahmadnagar district. This includes:
 

Kopargaon, Shirdi, Rahata:

Kopargaon is the main railway junction and has well established sugar factories in the region. There are also renowned pilgrim centers such as Shirdi Saibaba, Shani Shinganapur, etc in this city limits. This region has several thousands of visitors every month which encourages rampant beggary    especially involving children.

Shrirampur, Newasa:

Shrirampur is a one of the biggest centers of prositution.  Dhangarwasti is an area where the sex workers are living and involved in flesh trade.  The clientele here mostly are students of various colleges from Sangamner, Loni-Pravara, Shrirampur and Newasa.   


Shevgaon:

Shevgaon is one of the largest and conventionally drought prone Tehsil of Ahmednagar District. It also has the largest number of migrants due to the creation of Jayakwadi Project, a huge dam of Maharashtra. But the water of this dam is reserved for the Marathwada region, creating social and economical issues in this tehsil. Shivnagar in Shevgaon  is the prime red light area of Ahmednagar district.  The main clientele of the prostitutes are youth from nearby rural areas, truck drivers and farmers

Activities of Snehajyoth Mukta


Snehajyoth Mukta is a health care project that works for female sex workers and men having sex with men (MSM), their regular partners, and clients, through peer educators from the sex worker community.

The team employs a wide array of strategies to empower and mobilize sex workers. These include:

1) Training sex workers to serve as peer educators to teach community members about the transmission and dangers associated with STIs and HIV/AIDS;

2) Delivering important health promotion messages and contraception;

3) Working with and training local health care providers to provide quality STI prevention and treatment services;

4) Advocating the rights of sex workers with various stakeholders, including the police and other local parties, such as auto-rickshaw drivers and owners of brothels and lodges;

5) Encouraging the formation of self help groups and working to empower these community members.


Examples of the some of work on the ground, includes:

• Running a drop-in centre which includes a clinic and counseling centre for prostitutes. 
• Running pre-primary school, day care and night care centers for their children. 
• Keeping close vigil on trafficking and abuse of minors by pimps
• Provision of good quality condoms free of cost.
• Provide medical treatment through qualified doctors of STD & VDRL and arranging regular specialized health checkup camps
• Creating the awareness about the HIV/AIDS, safe sex practices. 
• Providing vocational training to women.
• Conducting sports, cultural programs, festivals for the prostitues and their children
• Access to clean toilets and drinking water in red light areas.
• Counselling prostitutes about alternatives for survival and to send their children to school, to prevent second generation prostitutes

Beneficiaries Report :