These Women Have Faced Only Pain, Join Hands With GGBK To Give Them A Better Life

“I have been involved in rescuing young girls and women for over 35 years now but every time, the pain, the fear, the suffering - it’s the same. These girls fear judgement from society and worst even, from their own families. We try our best to help them and give them a better life but it is definitely not easy,” - Nihar Raptan, Founder, Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra (GGBK). 

I am a father myself, how can I let these girls suffer? 

GGBK was started in 1985 after a devastating cyclone hit Nihar’s village, Goranbose, in South 24 Parganas district. Agricultural fields were damaged, and farmers were forced to migrate to other regions.Nihar started post-cyclone relief work to help the village residents avail government benefits. But as they resolved issues of food and housing, something else cropped up. 

Poverty had forced some families to trade their daughters or kidnap local girls for money. This was the beginning of human trafficking in the village, which eventually spread at the district level. Nihar’s first rescue was a minor girl who was trafficked to Mumbai via a train by a neighbour. Two years later in 1987, Nihar formally registered GGBK to prevent human trafficking and rescue and rehabilitate survivors. 

“My daughter, Subhashree, is actively involved in all these cases. Sometimes, when we get death threats, I get scared for her. But the next moment, I see her determination and grit to serve the society, to help those women in need and my heart swells in pride.”  

After her post-graduation in English, Shubhashree has completed a course in combating human trafficking from TISS, Mumbai, and Trafficking Prevention from NIPCCD, Assam. She has also done a special course to improve the NGO’s rehabilitation services, from the International Youth Centre, Delhi. Right now, her sole aim is to spread awareness among teachers, students, panchayat members and parents and provide support through counselling, litigation and compensation so that the survivors can rebuild their lives and livelihoods. 

Baba and I, together we have saved over 2500 girls, we want to help many more 

This father-daughter duo is doing commendable work in the Sunderbans and nearby areas by not just rescuing thousands of young women who have been forced into trafficking and prostitution but also giving them a second chance at life.  

“It is definitely challenging to integrate these women back into society but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve a chance. It is cumbersome, there is fear and judgment and on top of that the one has to make several rounds of the court before something fruitful happens. But we are not ready to give up. They are all my sisters - I want to be there for them,” - Shubhashree, Program Manager, Goranbose Gram Vikas Kendra.   

Nihar and Shubhashree are making a plea to all of you kind-hearted donors. You can donate groceries, hygiene kits and construction materials to their NGO. With your help, they will feed these women in need and also build a place where they can continue their counselling, training and rehabilitation processes. 

Join hands with this fiery duo who are making a difference in a remote village of West Bengal and curbing the menace of trafficking, one woman at a time. 

About the NGO: Started in 1985 by Nihar Raptan, Goranbose Gram Vikas Kendra is an NGO in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, this NGO has been working for over three decades to rescue young women from trafficking rings and give them a better life. 

Note: All the donations towards this campaign are eligible for Indian Tax Exemption.