Celebrating 10 Years

	Short Stay Home fully functioning and effectively utilized on 24x7 basis, including new case strategies such as Mentorships
	13 Mental illness cases were handled, 2 of which were successfully aided through legal intervention
	Explorations of After Care facilities for adolescents and groundwork for formal research and documentation in near future
	Rehabilitation of a case of a Juvenile in Conflict with the Law (JCL), consultation on other JCL cases within the Juvenile Justice System

	Lack of support from the Police and functionaries of the Juvenile Justice System while handling child labour and cases of sexual abuse, especially in regards to rehabilitation and prosecution to prevent re-entry to exploitative situations
	Weak prosecution and delayed and lengthy proceedings in cases of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation or child labour. Hence the entire process is expensive for the victims and witnesses with high rates of failure.  In cases of family involvement in trafficking, rehabilitation and restoration are very difficult
	Several issues related to Mental Illness: Few support structures for homeless youth with mental illness, lack of awareness by police of Mental Health Act and its implementation, high fees for private medications and therapy, general insensitivity towards the issue

	Formal documentation of issues, background, and methodology for purpose of sharing externally
	Increased interface through trainings and consultative processes to government systems
	Expanding reach to individuals to include greater number inside government systems (ie, government residential institutions)
	Focus on the legal procedures with regard to the cases of child labour and sexual abuse
	Formalising and sharing the research on After Care systems for adolescents

Sometimes you never know what challenges are in store when you accept a referral case. Neesha, age anywhere between 18- 20 , was sent to us by a worker from a peer organization, who found her at a local train station. She couldn’t convey much about how she’d gotten to the station, seeming to be confused about her situation in general. Over the next few days, we were able to glean small details that started to form a picture. She was from Bangladesh, but had been brought to India and to Mumbai several years ago by an aunt  who sold her for domestic service. She had worked at several places in the interim, and had had a child who was with the organization in Goa where she had been sent to deliver.  Having watched Neesha’s behaviour in the Crisis Shelter, she was referred to the local hospital’s psychiatric department, where she was diagnosed with mental retardation. Neesha’s case worker visited a woman she spoke about with particular affection. While she had referred to her as “aunt” (not the aunt who had trafficked her), the woman explained that she was not related to Neesha, but had taken her in, providing her with shelter and work, because she’d taken pity on her. However, her behaviour was sporadic, including her getting married to a local boy who soon divorced her because of difficulties in handling her behaviour. Eventually, Neesha had left and not come back. Over the course of a couple weeks Neesha’s behavioural problems were exhibited at Saathi. She often became violent and disruptive. It created problems not only within the shelter and day centre, but also drew attention within the community in which the shelter is placed. She needed to be moved to an environment able to handle her unique needs, but the only option was a Mental Hospital. This hospital treats the mentally ill as well as provides safe shelter for those for whom mental retardation is severe enough to hinder independent living. We would also be able to provide case follow up there. But moving her there would require that she be officially committed and this would entail assistance from state machinery. Upon approaching the police for assistance, the request was initially denied because Neesha did not “look like a lunatic.” The case worker continued to press for support while addressing the insensitivities related to mental illness and mental retardation. However, instead of helping to resolve the situation, the police declared Neesha to be an illegal resident and threatened charges against Saathi for harboring her. The fact that she is  Bangladeshi, regardless of her entering the country as a victim of trafficking, would prove to be complicated in getting any assistance and it was concluded that referral to a Mental Hospital is beyond Saathi’s reach at this point. Meanwhile, deportation has been looked in to as a first step towards Neesha’s ongoing care, but it will take a long time and she would have to remain in Saathi’s custody. Neesha continues with Saathi where the other girls in the shelter try hard to encourage her in staying focused and positive. Neesha has also started doing crafts and hobbies to calm and centre herself. But finally, Neesha’s story is of a girl who is unable to care for herself independently, has been trafficked for domestic work, exploited and abused along the way, with no outlets available that are truly capable of caring for her and her special needs. It is a story of society and systems failing spectacularly.  And there are no simple solutions…

Sobhna came from a household not of abuse and trauma, but rather something more insidious and potentially as damaging. She suffered from low grade depression, which her family could not understand, and a streak of independence, which her family could not fathom. The result was an environment of apathy, emotional distance, and restrictions. Sobhna’s family wanted her to be a part of their lives but they had no idea how to cope with or relate to her. Finally, feeling that her family didn’t trust her because of severe restrictions imposed on her and feeling unloved because of emotional distance and a tendency to ignore her behaviour, she left her home in Lucknow and headed to Mumbai. She didn’t know what she’d do there, but felt that whatever the outcome, it must be better than feeling like an imprisoned stranger in her own home. After 4 months of counseling and intensive activities, Sobhna began to learn how to express herself and her needs more effectively and creatively. Her attention seeking behavior diminished and she was learning to trust people around her. She was being truly listened to for the first time in her life, and she began to constructively explore who she was and who she wanted to be. Meanwhile, her family had been contacted and was being kept up to date on Sobhna’s progress, working towards an eventual reunion. Eventually Sobhna returned home with her family and for several months, all seemed well. But then phone calls started coming with a frantic Sobhna lamenting lack of support from her family towards her interests and especially education. We involved an NGO local to Sobhna’s home, but finally, she decided to leave home and return to Mumbai; she called Saathi to inform of her imminent arrival. A few days later, we heard from her family member that she died that same day. They have said it is due to natural causes.