This project strives to rescue children and female youth from exploitative, abusive and other disadvantaged situations such as street and pavement dwelling, work places, children begging, picking waste material and neglected children, and provide a protective environment where a child finds a safe, dignified and child-friendly atmosphere including their rehabilitation with their families.

This is done through various programs, such as street outreach, formation of children’s groups, counselling, life skill education, educational support and sponsorship, provision of safe shelter for children in need, organizing child right awareness and advocacy programs. 

The Dominican Family of Friars, Sisters and Laity also work in collaboration with a team of social workers and volunteers in Nagpur district to assist with children who are already living on the streets with adequate and necessary support:

• Providing street-based support, protection, rescue, rehabilitation and integration (with family), maintaining street presence through volunteers, and awareness creation among children about the risks and dangers on the streets.
• Residential care (counselling, food, accommodation, education, life skill development, livelihood training and opportunity, and preparing them for family life). Children are referred to Yuvajyothi or other homes for children. 

And to work with economically and socially disadvantaged families whose children may turn to the streets:

•  Sensitization visits to the families, life skill education to children in the families, child rights awareness in communities and schools, interventions at the school level in order to retain children in the schools, networking and advocacy.
• Livelihood training and opportunities for women from disadvantaged families at community-based centers.

In addition, all the Dominican entities in India are developing a training project, Safe Childhood: Breaking the silence and preventing incidences of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), to equip sisters and brothers with skills in dealing with child sexual abuse through activities such as:

• Children’s groups and training in safety lessons against CSE
• Increasing the knowledge and life skills of children to understand CSE and appropriately report the same in time
• Awareness and sensitization on CSE in communities
• Strengthening families by assisting parents to understand their children’s issues and how to help them be free from sexual exploitation
• Providing nurturing support by visiting at-risk families at home and ensure family counseling and parenting support
• Training of teachers, counselors and others on child sexual exploitation and enhance their capacity to effectively protect children from sexual exploitation
• Dialogue and networking with schools and Government and Civil Society Organizations

To show solidarity, Dominicans worldwide are urged to act and pray.

1. Pray each day for the Dominican Family in India and for the people who suffer and those who work to alleviate their pain.
2. According to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyrthi “Over $150 billion is earned annually in the trade (human trafficking). Over half of these are children.” Watch the Video Children for Sale: The Fight Against Child Trafficking in India 

From Marcelline Koch, OP and the Springfield Dominicans