“All schools deserve good playgrounds,” said 16-year-old Asha, the leader of her village’s girls group. The Halagenshwar Kishori Group was formed in January 2020 under our Children GOOD project. The members of this group are children aged 12 to 18 and belong to marginalised Devadasi communities in North Karnataka. “We as a community have been...

The girls from Durga Devi Kishori group represent the courage and might their names stand for. A group of 20, these girls leave no stone unturned when it comes to getting their way. Formed in 2019, under our Children GOOD project, the girls hail from marginalised Devadasi communities. “We are discriminated against a lot”, says...

Seventeen-year-old Sarita*says “Now I feel just as equal as a boy”.  Sarita’s newfound pride comes from an autorickshaw which she learns driving from. Before her lessons, she wasn’t as chirpy and driven. Belonging to the Devadasi community, she was very vulnerable and often in despair.  “Driving the rickshaw has liberated me. It has given me...

With loud claps and the sound of drums, songs and dialogues, the villagers looked on with rapt attention watching the scenes unfold. On a raised dais in the middle of a street, children and adults were narrating tales; tales essaying the lives of the Devadasi communities to raise awareness through street plays. Children of India’s...

In an attempt to enable Devadasi communities to gain information on Indian child protection laws, a training programme for para-legal volunteers was organised by Children of India’s GOOD project at Vijayapura and Belagavi district in Karnataka. The training was held on the 10th, 17th and 24th December of 2021 for a total of 164 volunteers. The...

Maintaining an open channel of communication between the people and the government is essential. Kishori Leaders belonging to the Devadasi community, who advocate for change and 31 duty bearers from Kugidi, Karnataka, including Taluk Legal Service Authority members, Anganwadi supervisors, ASHA workers, the Child Development Project Officer, and others, participated in a dialogue hosted by...

Though the Devadasi practice was outlawed nearly one hundred years ago, in 1924, it continues to exist in certain parts of the country due to continuous underreporting and its underground nature. The Devadasi system is the “offering” of girl children, after which they become sex workers.  The Devadasi Security Act of 1934 makes this practice...

Prostitution in temples, such as the Devadasis cult, has occurred in India since the country’s inception.  This occupation degraded into temple prostitution in the present times. This practice is illegal in India under the Devadasi Security Act of 1934. This prohibition was reinforced in the 1980s, although the law is still violated on a daily basis....

Police Brutality has always been a problem in India. The police are given powers in order for them to properly enforce the law and safeguard the public. However, they use it unlawfully for a variety of reasons, including the urge to conclude a case as quickly as possible and sheer greed. Article 21 of the...

During the pandemic, reaching out to the poor and affected people has been difficult, especially owing to COVID 19 restrictions.  Children of India Foundation’s Children GOOD project planned an awareness programme in the Vijayapura district on August 27, 2021, to help with this process. The programme’s major goal was to increase awareness about all anti-social...