Rescue Foundation wins human rights award

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (臺灣民主基金會, TFD) announced yesterday that the Rescue Foundation (救援基金會) of India is the winner of its 5th Asian Democracy and Human Rights Award (亞洲民主人權獎).

The non-governmental organization is recognized for its ongoing work in rescuing teenage girls from human trafficking and assisting them to return to their normal lives.

The Rescue Foundation was chosen from a pool of 25 nominations, after a two-stage review process. It will formally receive the 2010 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award at a ceremony in Taipei on Dec. 10 — the International Human Rights Day, according to Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who is also TFD's chairman.

The Award includes a US$100,000 grant to support the Rescue Foundation's work on protecting women's rights in South Asia. The foundation was established in 2000 in Mumbai, India, where some teenage girls have been living in disastrous conditions.

The Rescue Foundation helps these teenagers, who are shipped between countries such as India, Nepal and Bangladesh, and forced to serve as prostitutes in Mumbai and its neighboring cities. The foundation saves approximately 300 teenage girls from such an abuse every year and provides medical examination for AIDS/HIV, professional training courses, farming training sessions, and fundamental education.

Although the maximum capacity of its rehab center is only up to 100 victims, the Rescue Foundation always tries to help as many victims as it can and illustrates all its rescue missions on the website with details.


(2010-11-09/chinapost)