Text Credits: Raveena Nair

As the internet is going gaga over the Bollywood celebs Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor’s look at Cannes Film Festival, but Mallika Sherawat is in news for a very noble reason. Mallika chose this international platform as an opportunity to spread awareness about Lock Me Up Campaign. It is an initiative by Free A Girl, an international organization that works along with many countries to rescue girls from forced prostitution.

Mallika Sherawat, who is a brand ambassador of this organization locked herself up in a 12×8 feet cage at the festival. This was a representation of the miserable condition at brothels in India, where the girls are kept for days without any aid.

“Every minute we don’t do something there is a woman suffering abuse “ @freeagirlindia #freeagirl #schoolforjustice #womensrights #supportgirls #stoprape #cannes pic.twitter.com/F8aegKBnum

— Mallika Sherawat (@mallikasherawat) May 15, 2018

About the initiative, Mallika says, “It is my ninth year at Cannes and the festival is one of the most cogent platforms to raise the issue of child prostitution not just in India but across the world. Being locked in a cage, I wanted to drive home the imagery of how young girls who are being trafficked are trapped in a small 12×8 foot room. These innocent victims have to live and survive without any aid. There is a woman suffering abuse every minute with no hope of any change. So I thought of doing my bit and raising awareness about an issue which needs to become extinct at the earliest.”

Image Source: nomadandvillager.com

As a girl, a woman, our struggle starts right from the womb. Yes, some of us are privileged. We didn’t have to fight for food or education. Our family has always taken precautions to ensure our safety, come what may. But definitely, the situation is not same across the country for all. We are aware of human trafficking and especially that of young girls for commercial sexual exploitation but the numbers can literally shock you. According to the India Country Report by the Government of India, there are about three million prostitutes in the country, of which an estimated 40 percent are children, as there is a growing demand for very young girls to be inducted into prostitution on account of customer preferences. These girls are made to dress and wear make-up to look older to cover up their young age.

Human trafficking is a global issue. Though culture and lifestyle differ from country to country. Poverty remains one of the main causes of this evil to take place, and many of them are taken away from their family by known relatives or people with an assurance of giving some money to their families and ultimately are sold to red light areas for cheap amount. With rapid globalization happening, migration between countries has become an easy task, which also facilitates trafficking.

School For Justice is an initiative by Free A Girl organization where the rescued girls are trained and educated, so that they can enroll into Bachelors in Law program with a special focus on commercial sexual exploitation cases. This gives them chance to fight for justice with a raging fire within them.

The first step to fight against any injustice is to spread awareness. It is really a pleasure and a pride both, to see what Mallika is doing to spread awareness in an international platform about something, that desperately needs to change.

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