Abstract

Ajeet Singh, with his organisation Guria, has worked at the frontline in the fight against human trafficking in northern India for 25 years. It is estimated that there are currently around 1.2 million children being exploited in the sex industry in India. Guria has earned an international reputation for its legal work and successful prosecutions of human traffickers, an extremely dangerous but essential area of work. Guria’s mission is to liberate and empower sex workers and to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Guria pursue a holistic, grassroots approach working directly with the women and children affected and have built links with the Indian government, the UN, Asian Human Rights Commission, Frontline, The Freedom Fund and many more. Guria have succeeded in making Varanasi the only city in India with a red light area which is free of children who are being sexually exploited for commercial gain.