YouCanFreeUs had a unique opportunity when Sujo John was invited to the NATO Allied Joint Force Command in Brunssum, the Netherlands, to speak to the military leadership of Europe and North America on issues affecting women globally for International Women’s Day. 

Updated February 22, 2023

YouCanFreeUs continues to grow with the addition of our newest safe house in Kolkata, India.

To date, we have added four new beneficiaries this year.

Udaan is serving children who are at risk of being forced to work. These children can now receive an education at our child development centre, Udaan.

Our work focuses on victims of slavery including those trapped in commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour.

Our holistic approach to rehabilitation includes programs for literacy, education, vocational training, individual and group therapy, medical care, physical fitness, and life skills training.

Through our network of strategic intervention hubs, safe houses, and training centers, our fight is to bring freedom, hope, and restoration to victims of modern slavery and deliver innovative ways to reduce the global slavery footprint.

Mumbai, the financial and cultural capital of India, always draws young people from around the country who are often lured into the city with the hope of jobs, modeling contracts, or work in the world’s largest movie industry – Bollywood.  Some of the largest red-light districts of the world exist in India.  Mumbai has nine red-light districts: Kamathipura, Grant Road, Turbhe, Sonapur, Bhiwandi, Malwani, Vasai, Mira Road, and Panvel.

Our work begins with surveillance and mapping of red-light districts. Through our network of informants, our dedicated rescue staff plans and executes rescue operations with the help of local law enforcement.  Following the rescue, women, girls, and children are brought to our safe houses for their long-term psychosocial care. Our partnerships with local governments and the justice system often make us the preferred aftercare facility in Mumbai.

Child labour is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood and the opportunity to attend school, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development. Through its 2017 findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, the US Department of Labour reveals that 152 million children are involved in child labour – but nearly half of those, 73 million, are engaged in hazardous conditions.

Child labour is one of the biggest humanitarian crises plaguing India. Several million children in this country have been deprived of a proper childhood and ruthlessly exploited, due to the widespread demand for cheap labour.

To combat this, YouCanFreeUs aims at rescuing and protecting these young victims of modern slavery, as well as offering them opportunities for rehabilitation and education. Since 2019, we have a dedicated anti child labour team that works in partnership with law enforcement and governmental agencies.