South Asia Sex Trafficking and Sexual violence

"An ordinary salwar-kameez clad young woman fights sex trafficking..." In this episode, I talk with Ram Devineni & Dipti Mehta, who are the creators of the Priya Shakti comic book – which has made the topic of sex trafficking really accessible to younger people. Their project was named “Gender Equality Champion” by UN Women. This is the first ever Indian comic book series tackling serious issues like sexual violence and trafficking of young women by using Augmented Reality technology to appeal to younger audiences.MORE ABOUT RAM DEVINENIRam is the creator of the Priya’s Shakti comic book series and named by UN Women as a “gender quality champion”. He is a filmmaker who produced, edited and directed the feature documentary, “The Karma Killings,” which was shot in India and released on Netflix. Recently, he produced “The Russian Woodpecker,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.MORE ABOUT DIPTI MEHTADipti is an award winning, actor and writer of the interactive comic book, “Priya and the Lost Girls.” She wrote “HONOUR: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan,” which is an attempt to give voice and a face to brothel dwellers bringing their humanity to encounter that of her audiences, and is now touring internationally, creating awareness about the issues of trafficking and human rights. She best known for her portrayal of Reina in “Life! Camera Action,” which brought her multiple international awards and nominations.MORE ABOUT THE PRIYA SHAKTI SERIES http:// https://www.priyashakti.com/RESOURCES If you’ve been affected by the themes of this episode, please check out these resources:APNE AAPANTI-SLAVERYMODERN SLAVERYSEX TRAFFICKINGMentioned in this episode:Inspiring feminist memoir Bad DaughterBad Daughter is my story of going from Mumbai’s slums to New York’s Billboards, with a healing stopover in Kerala. But it’s your story too. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what happened to you. You still get to have the life you want. That's the message of this book. My memoir Bad Daughter is deeply personal. I talk about growing up in poverty. I talk about my father’s violence, my mother’s murder. I talk about how I turned my pain into power, navigating mental health, sexuality, spirituality & patriarchy. If you’re looking for a book to move you and inspire you to change your own life, buy this book on Amazon: https://shorturl.at/TDC7g. Or buy directly on my website: https://baddaughter.co.uk/about/ Bad Daughter is an essential feminist book, this inspirational memoir is for every woman who wants to break free. This powerful memoir is a reminder that the courage to be your authentic self can transform your own life – and the lives of those around you.