A total of 20 inmates of Odanadi Seva Samsthe, a Mysuru-based NGO engaged in rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration and empowerment of trafficked and sexually exploited women and children, embarked upon a four-day-long cycle expedition through the tribal hamlets and dalit colonies in parts of Hunsur and H.D. Kote taluk of Mysuru district.
Accompanied by five staff members of Odanadi Seva Samsthe including founders Stanley and Parashuram, the 12 girls and eight boys sheltered will pedal an estimated 400 km through the rural parts of the district and interact with the residents of the hamlets.
The inmates, most of whom are survivors of human trafficking, child marriage or sexual exploitation, are in the age group of 16 years to 21 years.
During the expedition, they will stage skits and street plays to create among the tribals and rural poor awareness against social evils such as child marriages, domestic violence, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, besides precautions to keep COVID-19 at bay, and they will also learn from the communities they meet.
Reintegration of survivors of human trafficking, child marriage or sexual exploitation into the mainstream is one of the objectives of Odanadi. “Merely traditional counselling may not always help social reintegration. So, along with traditional counselling, such expeditions will help them build relationships as well as understand people in crisis and poverty. They will also get to learn how happy people are despite the problems they are facing”, said Stanley.
The participants of the expedition, who will pedal through Bilikere, are scheduled to make their first overnight stop at Hunsur on Monday. The other villages on their itinerary for the next three days included Pakshirajapura in Hunsur taluk, where nomadic tribes are found, on Tuesday.
“We will interact with the residents of different hamlets and Dalit colonies and halt overnight in the same villages, where we will hold street plays and skits on various topics”, said Mr. Parashuram, who is also a member of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR). “During the expedition, we will stop by the houses of COVID-19 victims and hold dialogues with the family members while creating awareness about the pandemic and the steps needed to keep it bay”, he said.
The expedition has also given the Odanadi inmates a chance to come out in the open after remaining indoors for almost two years during the pandemic, said Mr. Parashuram.
Earlier on Monday, the expedition was flagged off by Superintendent of Mysuru district Police R. Chethan at Kalamandira in Mysuru.
