The Gateway to Employment and Economic Empowerment for Survivors of Trafficking project was funded by Foundation Phi, Spain for empowering the survivors by providing in-service training through job-placement to reduce their socio-economic vulnerability, healthcare services, legal support and to train them as peer motivators to aware young women and adolescent girls about the underlying dynamics of trafficking episodes To meet the project goal, Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) launched Traffic Survivors Foundation which is an innovative imitative to provide employment for socio-economic empowerment of the survivors of trafficking in women and girls.

Launching Ceremony of Traffic Survivors Foundation

Traffic Survivors Foundation was launched on the occasion of 100 years of International Women’s Day 2011 at Centre for Women and Children Studies premise on 10 March 2011 from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm. It was organized by Centre for Women and Children Studies with financial support of Foundation Phi, Spain.

Objective of the project:

The main objective is empowerment of survivors and potential victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation through improvement of their socio-economic condition.

Activities of the project:

Activity 1:

Identification of survivors/potential victims of trafficking in Satkhira district and job placement in the garment factory at Dhaka.

Package services provided to these women and girls by CWCS:

After final selection, CWCS conduct medical check-up of survivors and potential victims to check their fitness for work. Then, qualified 4 women and girls are brought to Dhaka along with one female staff. CWCS bears bus fare and other transportation cost of the survivors and help them to get rented residence. Designated staff also cooperate them to be employed in Ananta Garment Factory by commutating with concerned authority. Women and girls are also provided their necessary utensils and appliances for cooking food, one month cost of their food and a dress.

Moreover, one female CWCS staff is engaged to maintain continuous liaison and communication with the authority of garment factory, survivors and their family members left at home for the well being of the survivors. There is a 24 hour hotline number at CWCS office to communicate with concerned CWCS staff and key stakeholders. Survivors, their guardians and authority of the garment factory can communicate for any urgent need at any time and CWCS rush to provide necessary support. CWCS staff monitors the women and girls’ status who were placed in jobs in garment factory and negotiate with concerned garment official to ensure their optimum benefit.

Job Placement and sustainable rehabilitation of survivors and potential victims

• Four survivors who were brought from Satkhira district were placed in a garment factory in Dhaka after the launching ceremony in March 2011. They are being provided medical check-up, travel cost and basic amenities for their proper rehabilitation and job placement in Dhaka. Every month four survivors will be selected from the project area in Satkhira to be brought to Dhaka and to be placed in in-service training at the garment factory.       
• In 2012, about 50 women and girls of Satkhira district who are victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, early marriage, domestic violence and extreme poverty have already been job placement at a women-friendly garments factory in Dhaka. In 2013, about 60 survivors and potential victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation such as victims of domestic violence and those who were suffering from extreme poverty were placed in jobs at The Ananta Garment factory at Ashulia in Dhaka.
• An agreement signed with between guardians of survivors or potential victims and Centre for Women and Children Studies regarding their job placement in Dhaka.
• Among 148 women and girls who were placed: (38 were placed in 2011, 50 were placed in 2012 and 60 were placed in 2013), 50 of them are working in the garment factory with vigor and enthusiasm. 3 of them promoted as Operator from helper and at present earn about 6,000-7,000 taka per month.

Activity 2:

Organized 60 Courtyard meetings with women and girls in remote villages on the issues of trafficking and sexual exploitation as well as rehabilitation of victims by providing them job placement in garment factory:

• About 1814 vulnerable village women and girls attended in Debhata, Kaliganj, Satkhira Sadar and Kalaroa upazilas.
• About 32 victims were identified by the participants of the courtyard meetings who were placed in garment factory.