Ray Umashankar, the 73 year old former assistant dean of the University of Arizona, has worked tirelessly to provide education to former sex trade victims through his organization, ASSET(Achieving Sustainable Social Equality through Technology (ASSET) India Foundation). According to the Huffington Post, Umashankar’s organization gives these women a better chance in the job market, as these workers may be stigmatized due to their past.
According to the 2013 Tracking in Persons Report, “Sex trafficking of women and girls within the country[India] is widespread”.
ASSET also provides female sanitary products, allowing the girls to continue their schooling without shame or ridicule.
“In rural India, when the girls start menstruating, they use dirty rags and they get sick. Out of embarrassment, they stop going to school. Providing proper sanitary napkins, making them available, that’s going to keep them in school,” Umashankar said.
To learn more about Umashankar’s community work in India, visit the Huffington Post.
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