MATCHBOX

In a mark of solidarity with people who have been working towards alleviating violence against women and children, we interviewed Emmy winning journalist and activist, Ms Ruchira Gupta, who is the founder of Apne Aap, an anti-sex trafficking NGO that has been empowering women and girls to exit systems of prostitution. She is also the author of a work of fiction, I Kick and I Fly.

She responds to our questions below.

1. Two of the most common reasons women and girls are trafficked, and gravely affected regions:

One of the main reasons for trafficking is demand—the buyers of sex or cheap labor fuel this exploitation. Traffickers operate to meet this demand, targeting the most vulnerable populations. Women and girls are disproportionately affected due to systemic inequalities like poverty, caste discrimination, and gender-based violence. Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with 70 percent of trafficking victims being women and girls, often for sexual exploitation. In regions such as South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe, systemic poverty, conflict, and displacement exacerbate vulnerabilities.

2. Is trafficking limited to girls and women, or does it also include boys?

While the majority of trafficking victims are women and girls, boys are also trafficked, especially for forced labor, begging, or sexual exploitation. Apne Aap addresses this issue holistically, focusing on creating systems of support and rights-based empowerment for all at-risk individuals, while prioritizing the needs of women and girls who are disproportionately impacted.

3. How do you stage an intervention?

We do not conduct traditional rescue operations. Instead, Apne Aap’s intervention is based on community empowerment. Our approach helps women and girls learn to access their rights and fight for themselves, creating a sustainable and multi-generational impact.

In Forbesganj, Bihar, where we began our work, there were once 72 brothels. Today, there are only two. We achieved this by:

• Supporting women to reclaim the mud huts used as brothels and transforming them into homes.
• Helping these women set up small businesses, such as spice shops, tailoring stalls, and tea stalls, in the same rooms where exploitation once occurred.
• Ensuring children were enrolled in schools and traffickers were brought to justice.
  This holistic and transformative approach has enabled entire red-light areas to evolve into empowered communities.

4. Social, psychological, and legal interventions and Apne Aap’s role:
   Apne Aap’s Ten Assets approachequips at-risk and trafficked women and girls with the tools they need to exit systems of prostitution and prevent trafficking:

• Tangible Assets:Safe spaces, education, government-authorized IDs, subsidies for food and housing, and savings/bank accounts.
• Intangible Assets:Self-confidence, political power, legal support, livelihood linkages, and self-action groups of ten friends.
  As women and girls gain these assets, their dependence on systems of exploitation diminishes. This approach is sustainable, empowering, and survivor-centered. Over the past 12 years, Apne Aap has supported over 21,142 individuals across India.

5. Disconnect between GoI’s efforts and trafficking’s persistence:

While the Government of India has enacted anti-trafficking laws, the persistence of trafficking highlights gaps in enforcement and systemic inequalities. Corruption, lack of training for law enforcement, and societal norms that blame victims hinder progress. Additionally, traffickers adapt quickly, using digital platforms to exploit victims and advertise their services, creating new challenges for justice systems.

            Governments that rely on shelters for trafficked victims often fail to address the systemic issues that fuel trafficking. These shelters are usually underfunded and insufficient, providing limited support while leaving the root causes—demand from sex buyers and the exploitation by traffickers—untouched. In contrast, countries like France, Norway, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Sweden have implemented models that shift the blame from the victim to the perpetrator. By decriminalizing women and penalizing sex buyers and traffickers, these nations have successfully reduced trafficking while providing survivors with holistic, community-based support through National Referral Mechanisms. These mechanisms offer integrated access to healthcare, child support, housing, livelihood programs, and legal aid in one place, ensuring survivors receive the help they need without unnecessary hurdles.

            This approach has catalyzed a global survivor movement, making human trafficking visible and challenging decades of gaslighting that romanticized or justified exploitation as a “choice.” Survivors have reclaimed the narrative, exposing prostitution for what it often is: the absence of choice. These efforts are not only dismantling myths perpetuated by the sex industry but also fostering a cultural shift that questions male entitlement to women’s bodies. By addressing demand and supporting survivors, this model transforms systems of exploitation and lays the foundation for a more just and equitable society.

6. Structural changes needed to address trafficking:

To combat trafficking, we must address both demand and supply:

• Policy Efforts: Enforce stricter penalties for traffickers and buyers, provide robust survivor support systems, and strengthen the judiciary.
• Social and Economic Interventions: Challenge patriarchal norms, create livelihood opportunities, and ensure education for at-risk populations. Empowering women and girls through economic independence and social support is key to dismantling systemic vulnerabilities.

7. Challenges in your work and how you address them:

Societal stigma, threats from traffickers, and systemic apathy are significant challenges. Apne Aap addresses these by creating survivor-led networks, building trust in communities, and ensuring culturally sensitive interventions. Our community-based approach transforms entire red-light areas, reducing vulnerabilities for future generations.

8. The story behind I Kick and I Fly

I Kick and I Fly was inspired by the stories of the Last Girl—the most marginalized and vulnerable girl in the trafficking chain. Heera, the protagonist, is a 14-year-old girl from a nomadic tribe in Forbesganj, India, who escapes trafficking through martial arts. Her journey mirrors the resilience I have witnessed in countless survivors. Fiction allowed me to share these realities in a way that engages readers while inspiring action.

            The story was also shaped by my personal experiences—growing up in Forbesganj, witnessing girls disappear into trafficking, and later working to empower them to reclaim their futures. Heera’s story is a tribute to the courage and strength of all the girls and women I have worked with.

9. Who is the Last Girl?

The Last Girl is the most marginalized and vulnerable person in a society. She is poor, female, low-caste, and a teenager. She may be the daughter of a prostituted woman or a victim of child marriage or domestic servitude. She is targeted by traffickers because of her lack of choices and becomes the “supply” in the trafficking system.

            Our work simultaneously tackles both the “supply” and the “demand” sides of trafficking—from empowering the Last Girl to holding traffickers and buyers accountable. By addressing her vulnerabilities, we aim to transform not only her life but the systems that exploit her.

10. Anything else for our readers:

Trafficking is a human rights violation driven by systemic inequalities. Through Apne Aap‘s efforts, we have provided over 600,000 women and families with food, educated more than 4,000 children, and connected over 10,000 women with government IDs. 

If you want to help in the fight against trafficking, there are many ways to make a difference:

• Learn: Visit my website www.ruchiragupta.com and the Apne Aap website www.apneaap.org to access resources, stories, and tools to deepen your understanding of human trafficking and its solutions.
• Spread Awareness: Share what you learn with your networks, on social media, or in your community. A great way to start is by reading and recommending my book, I Kick and I Fly. It’s an empowering story based on real-life experiences, and proceeds from its sales go directly to supporting girls’ education in red-light areas. By buying the book, you’re contributing to their future.
• Volunteer or Intern: Apne Aap welcomes volunteers and interns. You can help organize events, work with survivors, or support our campaigns.
• Donate: Your contributions can sponsor a girl’s education, provide safe spaces, and help women and girls in red-light areas gain the skills and resources they need to reclaim their lives. Every donation matters.
• Take Action: Sign the Freedom Pledge on my website and commit to standing against human trafficking. You can also watch the film that inspired me to begin this work, available on my site.

Lastly, Ruchira says,

“don’t think the problem is too big for you to make a difference. I started as a journalist hiking in the hills of Nepal, where I stumbled upon villages with missing girls. This discovery led me to Mumbai, where I saw those same girls locked in cages in brothels. It was overwhelming, but I couldn’t turn away. I learned by doing—and so can you.

Don’t ask yourself, “What can I do?”—just do what you can. You don’t know whether your effort is big or small; only time will tell. But do it as if it matters—because it does. Change is possible, but it requires collective action. Together, we can create a world where no child is bought or sold.”