UJJAWALA : A Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-integration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation

UJJAWALA is a comprehensive scheme being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development,Government of India for Prevention of Trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-Integration of Victims of Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

Objectives of UJJAWALA Scheme

• To prevent trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation through social mobilization and involvement of local communities, awareness generation programs, generate public discourse through workshops/seminars and such events, and any other innovative activity.  

• To facilitate the rescue of victims from the place of their exploitation and place them in safe custody.

• To provide rehabilitation services both immediate and long-term to the victims by providing basic amenities/needs such as shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment including counseling, legal aid and guidance, and vocational training.  

• To facilitate the reintegration of the victims into the family and society at large  

• To facilitate the repatriation of cross-border victims to their country of origin.

Beneficiaries of UJJAWALA Scheme

• Women and children who are vulnerable to trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. 

• Women and children who are victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.

Implementing Agencies of UJJAWALA Scheme

The implementing agencies can be the Social Welfare/Women and Child Welfare Department of State Government, Women's Development Corporations, Women's Development Centres, Urban Local Bodies, reputed Public/Private Trust, or Voluntary Organizations.

The organization must have adequate experience in the field of trafficking, social defense, dealing with women and children in need of care and protection, children in conflict with the law, etc

Eligibility criteria of UJJAWALA Scheme

The implementing organizations must fulfill the following eligibility conditions.

• The agency should be registered under the law and must have a properly constituted Managing Body with its powers, duties, and responsibilities clearly defined and laid down in its Constitution.

• The organization must not work for the profit of any individual or body of individuals.

• It should ordinarily have three years' experience after its registration.

• Its financial position should be sound.

• It should have facilities, resources, experience, and personnel to initiate the scheme for which assistance is sought.

• Voluntary organizations should be registered with the NGO PS portal of NITI Aayog.

Documents required for applying UJJAWALA Scheme

Following are the documents required for the application process.

• Registration certificate. If in a Regional Language, authenticated English Version to be attached. Also, state if the certificate is to be renewed annually. 

• Constitution of the agency/Bye-laws and Memorandum of Association. 

• Constitution of the Board of Management with brief particulars of each member. 

• Annual Report for the last 3 years. 

• Audited accounts for the last 3 years. 

• Rent deed for rented accommodation

The components of the UJJAWALA Scheme and pattern of assistance

The Scheme shall have the following main components.

A. Prevention 

1. Formation and functioning of Community Vigilance Groups(Each community vigilance group constituted under the Prevention component should have a woman from the community duly recommended/nominated by the respective Panchayat/Municipality Corporation, as the case may be, where the project is being implemented.)

2. Sensitization Workshops/Seminars. Representatives of Gram Panchayat/Municipality Corporation, as the case may be, should also be invited to all Sensitisation workshops/Seminars. 

3. Awareness generation through mass media including Kala jathas, street plays, puppetry or through any other art forms, preferably traditional 

4. Development and printing of awareness generation material such as pamphlets, leaflets, and posters (in local language) (Implementing agency has to distribute IEC Materials during the meetings of Gram Sabhas also.) 

 B. Rescue

1. Information gathering:Through the formation of a network of Police NGOs, Women's Groups, Youth Groups, Panchayath, Hotels and Tour Operators etc to gather information on traffickers, suspicious people and vulnerable families.

2. Rescue operations: The scheme would provide for:

   1. Incentives to decoy customers/informers.

   2. Transportation cost of the victim(s) from place of rescue to shelter home.

   3. Initial documentation. 

3. Immediate Relief on Rescue: The scheme will provide food, shelter, toiletries, clothing, trauma care/counseling, medical aid etc. during the interim period between rescue and production before the concerned authorities.

C. Rehabilitation 

1. Setting up of Protective and Rehabilitative (P&R) Homes - The P&R Homes would be set up by the agency. 

2. Basic amenities - to provide basic amenities such as food, clothing, and other items of personal use. 

3. Medical Care - This Scheme would provide Doctor's fees, cost of medicines, hospitalization, appropriate linkages to de-addiction centers. Since the victims of trafficking undergo immense psychological trauma, professional counseling services would be provided through a qualified clinical psychologist and psychiatrist. 

4. Legal Aid- As victims are the main witnesses against the trafficker/pimp/ perpetrator, or to claim their right to property, marital rights, divorce, maintenance, and custody of children, they will need to be provided with legal aid which would include court work and documentation relating to the victim's court case. 

5. Administrative Costs - To support small contingencies arising out of the project. 

6. Education - As a large proportion of the rescued victims are children, they will need to be inducted into the formal or open school system, for which some expenditure on text-books, notebooks, stationery, school uniform, and other incidental expenses may have to be incurred

7. Vocational Training and Income generation activities - in order to completely rehabilitate the victim it is necessary to provide alternate livelihood options. Therefore, support for vocational training is provided.

D. Re-integration

1. The setting of Half-Way Home - Half-Way Home is a Home within the community, where a group of victims, ready for reintegration, live and work out of this place. This is to facilitate a smooth transition from life in P&R Home to independent living in the community. A Half-Way Home is for a group of victims who are gainfully employed and can live semi-independently with minimum supervision. This is a phased approach to reintegration into the community. 

2. Restoration to Families - The scheme would cover the travel of the victim and an escort from the destination area to her hometown/village, expenses incurred towards her food during her travel, and incidental expenses.

E. Repatriation (Cross-border)

1. Facilitate repatriation procedures - The scheme would provide for expenses incurred in fulfilling various formalities for obtaining a repatriation order for the victim. 

2. Repatriation to country of origin - The scheme would cover travel of the cross-border victim and an escort from the destination area to her country of origin or border, expenses incurred towards her food during her travel, and incidental expenses.