About Us

GURIA is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking and forced prostitution in Northern India. We mainly focus holistically on 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh state which are the most vulnerable within the state as source, transit and destination areas for human trafficking. But we keep our minds open to the entire state including the Indo-Nepal borders, 8 state borders and Intra-state trafficking.

Our Vision: To build a just and humane world where all beings co-exist in harmony.

Our Mission:  To fight against human trafficking and forced prostitution especially among women and children

Our Objectives:

• To eliminate second generation prostitution
• To prevent child prostitution and trafficking of women and children for forced labour, prostitution, and other forms of sexual exploitation
• To end sex tourism and discrimination in the name of HIV/AIDS
• To empower women in prostitution to end their dependence on the criminal nexus that enslaves them
• To advocate for improvements in government policy and law enforcement pertaining to trafficking and prostitution   
• To ensure that justice is achieved for the victims of human trafficking through involvement in the legal process 
• To support and rehabilitate survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and other forms of sexual exploitation
• To eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices towards sex workers
• To prevent human trafficking in vulnerable rural areas through livelihood support programs

Areas of Intervention:

GURIA, with a holistic strategy, has focused both on the source (poor rural areas of the districts of Varanasi, Azamgarh, Mau, Gazipur) and the destination level through the following interventions:

• Health, education, and alternative livelihood support 
• Freedom Now, a worldwide concert series
• Pearls of Love, a concert of marginalized artists
• Non-formal Education Centers in the red light areas of Shivdaspur and Mau 
• Awareness campaigns against human trafficking
• Advocacy and networking
• Legal support to victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation
• Rescue of trafficked enslaved persons 
• Livelihood support to prevent trafficking in the source areas 
• Building civil society support groups against human trafficking 
• Sensitization programs 
• Living with the Bedia community involved in family based prostitution in Karar
• Work against trafficking on the Indo Nepal border
• Sensitization Programs to establish links with police

Main Idea and Strategy:

• There is no isolated formula for prevention of second generation prostitution, child prostitution, and human trafficking. GURIA takes a broad approach to solving the problem by ending slavery of women and their children in brothels, which will in turn end dependence on the criminal nexus
• To break up the criminal nexus, GURIA utilizes education, health awareness, availing government programs, emotional support, dignity, and protection from police and criminals
• GURIA works to create exploitation-free red light areas. Success in the red light areas highly depends on the participation of the people in the areas
• GURIA is involved in rescues, legal intervention, witness protection and bail rejections