JOURNEY OF A DEVADASI · JOURNEY OF A DEVADASI From Oppression to Opportunity An ancient practice...
Transcript of JOURNEY OF A DEVADASI · JOURNEY OF A DEVADASI From Oppression to Opportunity An ancient practice...
JOURNEY OF A DEVADASIFrom Oppression to Opportunity
An ancient practice in India, the Devadasi (meaning: ‘servant of God’) system involved dedicating a girl, as young as 5-6 years of age, to the temple Goddess. This meant that she would spend her entire life serving the temple and was not allowed to marry anyone else. The system was abused by the rich and the powerful who began to force the young Devadasis to sleep with them.
Every day, about girls and
women in India enter prostitution.200
do so against their will.
For as little as the
borrower’s enterprise can undergo as
high as a increase in revenue.
$25060%
Devadasis are denied
employment due to social
stigma. It is a vicious
cycle where future
generations too are drawn into
this ruthless system.
of these single mothers are
now able to send their children to
school. This results in improved
child nutrition, health and
education.
of Devadasis
are illiterate. of
them are unmarried.
91%93%
With a small investment of $250, these
women engage in 32 types of
businesses, from professional
photography to repairing tractors and
other farm equipment.
80%
PERFORM
67% 10% 1%
of the world’s work.
EARN
of the world’s
income.
OWN
of the world’s
land.
COMPRISE
of the world’s poor.
70%
Greater provision of public
goods, such as water and
sanitation, which matter
more to women.
WOMEN
POWER IN HANDS OF WOMEN
The average Devadasi
empowered by the Hope
Project:
is 45 years old
has a family of 5, including
3 school-going children
rears cattle and livestock
saves about $30 a month
de·va·da·si|dāvə däsē|noun: devadasi; plural noun: devadasisa hereditary female dancer and courtesan in a Hindu temple.
#hopeproject
spearheaded by MILAAP.org is a
campaign to inspire urban masses
towards empowering ex-Devadasis
through small contributions called
microloans. The possibility of
self-reliance through
entrepreneurship is a ray of fierce
hope for them.
THE HOPE PROJECT
1. Varghese, J. (September 15, 2010). Devadasi’s: Young Indian Temple Prostitutes. Assist News Service. Retrieved from http://www.assistnews.net/ansarticle.asp?URL=Stories/2010/s10090083.html 2. Devadasi System: The Flesh Trade on the name of God, Exposed! Chakreview. Retrieved from: http://www.chakreview.com/social-issues/Devadasi-System-The-Flesh-Trade 3. Blachard JF, O'Neil J, Ramesh BM, Bhattacharjee P, Orchard T, Moses S. Understanding the social and cultural contexts of female sex workers in Karnataka, India: Implications for prevention of HIV infection. J Infect Dis 2005:191(Suppl-1):S139-46. Available from: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/425273?cookieSet=1. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1pCUYWW
SOURCES:
ENTERPRISES IMPROVED by MICROLOANS
4% Retail shops4% Grocery stores
6% Cloth businesses
66% Livestock rearing 20% Other
61%
When women have the same
amount of land as men, there
is over a .
increase in crop yields.10%