Apne Aap
This year, we have selected the charity Apne Aap as the recipient of our fundraising efforts. Apne Aap is a charity based in India that works to fight sex trafficking and to provide services to victims of sex trafficking in India. The mission of the charity is to empower women, and to provide them with their “four essential rights”: the right to legal protection, education, a dignified livelihood, and safe and independent housing. As a non-profit with consultative status with the United Nations, it has made strides since its humble beginnings.
The charity was founded by Ruchira Gupta, an active advocate against sex trafficking worldwide. Ruchira Gutpa has worked with not only the United Nations but also the US Senate to pass legislature protecting victims and punishing traffickers. Ruchira Gupta was awarded the Abolitionist Award of the UK House of Lords in 2006 and the Clinton Global Citizen Award in 2009.
Ruchira Gutpa also directed an Emmy winning documentary called “The Selling of the Innocents” that told the story of 24 victims of prostitution. This documentary created the founding ideas of Apne Aap. The girls were able to bond throughout the production of the documentary, and this bond empowered them. After the documentary was finished, the girls continued to meet with each other and realized that the support they got in the group was something invaluable. From this, the idea of creating a safe place for women to come to where they could receive services and connect with other victims was born. Apne Aap has grown significantly in the past few years and is now aiding women in Bihar, Delhi, and West Bengal.
The charity was founded by Ruchira Gupta, an active advocate against sex trafficking worldwide. Ruchira Gutpa has worked with not only the United Nations but also the US Senate to pass legislature protecting victims and punishing traffickers. Ruchira Gupta was awarded the Abolitionist Award of the UK House of Lords in 2006 and the Clinton Global Citizen Award in 2009.
Ruchira Gutpa also directed an Emmy winning documentary called “The Selling of the Innocents” that told the story of 24 victims of prostitution. This documentary created the founding ideas of Apne Aap. The girls were able to bond throughout the production of the documentary, and this bond empowered them. After the documentary was finished, the girls continued to meet with each other and realized that the support they got in the group was something invaluable. From this, the idea of creating a safe place for women to come to where they could receive services and connect with other victims was born. Apne Aap has grown significantly in the past few years and is now aiding women in Bihar, Delhi, and West Bengal.