Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Freedom Firm

So I actually have written two papers now! This last paper was about Freedom Firm, an organization in India that helps rescue young girls in prostitution. This organization is really wonderful, so I figured that I should share the information I learned, with you.


In India, there are over 500,000 girls forced to work as prostitutes. Rodney Green, in association with Freedom Firm, are continually trying to lower that statistic and help save the children of India.
    Rodney Green attended Central Michigan University in 2006. Graduating with a major in English, he went on after college to work as a teacher in England. He knew he didn’t want to stay a teacher, so he left England for a while to work in Mexico. This lead him to India, to become the associate director in communications for Freedom Firm.
    Freedom Firms main goal is to rescue underage girls from a life of prostitution in India’s red light districts. These girls are brought into a life of prostitution by in a number of ways. They can be tricked by false promises, or even sold by a relative. Family members sell their young girls into prostitution for financial reasons. Girls are not as valued in India, and prostitution is a good way to earn money for the family. They are sold into brothels for around 50,000 rupees, or about a thousand U.S. dollars.
    To save these young girls, Freedom Firm has an unique method. They first send undercover investigators to follow leads and monitor red light areas. These investigators wear hidden cameras to help identify the minors, as well as the brothel keepers, pimps and traffickers. After they have found a victim, Freedom Firm goes to the police with their evidence. With the help of the police, they raid brothels and save the girls.
    After the rescue, the rescued girls are placed in a secure government observation home. An inquiry is made into her background and family condition to see if it safe to place her back with her family. Each girl is given a social worker who stays with the girl through the government process and beyond. These social workers help provide counseling, medical care, education and training programs. These girls need counseling and medical care for more than the obvious reason: by time they are rescued, most of these girls are already HIV+.
    Once the girls are 18, they can chose to go out into the world, or chose to be placed in the restoration process by living in Freedom Firm’s aftercare home called Roja. Roja is a home based aftercare system that helps build emotional, physical and spiritual healing and growth. When the eighteen months are over, these girls have the opportunity to either further their studies or become employees in Freedom Firms jewelry business.
    These girls are victims in the most horrible sense. They can be sold as babies, thinking that they are worth nothing, and have no future. But through Freedom Firms wonderful work, these girls can grow up to lead wonderful, productive and safe lives. 

To learn more, please visit Freedom Firms website

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