Vaan Muhil has taken active part in all India Working Group meetings held in Kolkotta and in New Delhi for the last three years. Taking part in the national level consultations and meetings, particularly on the Trafficking of Persons Bill gave the partners an overview of the developments that are taking place at national level and to have the feeling of partners’ contributions to the national process in an important legislation that is very much connected to the present work and focus groups. The cross learning and sharing has been really useful to the nature of work in the working villages on eliminating modern forms of bonded labour in Textile Sector. The different strategies worked out in the IWG for the speedy passage of the Trafficking Bill give the partners strength and perspectives in terms of policy advocacy and meaningful engagement with the policy makers at the national level.

6.2. One day Workshops on Labour Code

Along with other partners, Vaan Muhil took active part in the one day workshops on labour codes to understand different aspects of the proposed labour codes. The participants felt the dire need for representing the important concerns of the workers and a couple of action plans have been evolved as the follow up of the one day workshops.

6.3. One day Orientation on SDGs for all partners 

A one day orientation program on SDGs was organized for all partners and other NGOs working for the rights and welfare of the adolescent girls / young women in Madurai and the partners could learn various SDGs, relevant targets and the corresponding global indicators that are evolved by the Inter Agency for SDGs and the national indicators evolved by the Central Govt / Niti Aayog. The participants felt the need for working on certain important SDGs and to focus on areas of interventions specific to working people / target groups. Concrete action plans were worked out to focus on target 8.7 and relevant other targets in goals: 1, 2, 4, 5, and 16. There has been a state level effort going on involving a number of NGOs and academics on SDGs. Vaan Muhil has been part of the state level process on this theme (Labour).

6.4. Meeting MPs in Delhi as part of TNA initiative

As a member of TNA, Vaan Muhil had the opportunity to be part of the TNA delegation to go to Delhi to meet Tamil Nadu MPs to exert pressure on stopping of the Labour Codes and to get support for the Trafficking of Persons Bill. The TNA team could meet several MPs from different parties in Delhi and took efforts to brief them about the salient features of the Trafficking of Persons Bill, while explaining to them about the negative aspects of the proposed Labour Codes

6.5.. Taking Part in the International Conference on Anti Slavery in Bangkok

Vaan Muhil had the opportunity to take part in the international conference on NGO Alliance 8.7 focusing on human trafficking and modern slavery, held on 3 – 5 December 2018, at Bangkok. Nearly 60 CSOs took active part from 25 countries across the globe and discussed the modalities on strategies to materialize Goal 8.7. All the Indian partners felt the need for a collective effort on the issue and to involve all stakeholders, who are working on this area in India.

6.6. Signature Campaign on TOP Bill

As a follow up of the India Working Group meetings on the Trafficking of Persons Bill 2018, Vaan Muhil has been fully engaged in collecting signatures from the people in the working villages in Srivilliputhur and Vembakkottai blocks in Virudhu Nagar district. Vaan Muhil collected 4000 signatures from the community members in working villages and be active part of the Campaign Against Camp Coolie System in the Post Card Campaign and prepared letters to the Rajya Sabha MPs. Nearly 1800 letters were prepared and sent to the Rajaya Sabha MPs from Tamil Nadu.

6.7. Participation in UN General Assembly Week programs in New York

Vaan Muhil has the special opportunity to take part in the UN General Assembly Week program held in September 2019. The director spoke in a special event organized by The Freedom Fund to highlight the effectiveness of community based interventions in South Indian Hotspot to reduce the socio economic vulnerabilities of the bonded labourers particularly working adolescent girls in Textile sector.

6.8. Participation in OECD Conference in Paris in February 2020

The director of the organization had the opportunity to be part of the two member team, representing Tamil Nadu Alliance in the three day OECD conference in mid February in Paris. The team members had changes to interact with international NGOs and governmental agencies during the conference and released the Tamil Nadu Declaration, seeking for commitments from the brands sourcing from the state.

The one day legal consultation for all partners was helpful to identify the needs, gaps and strategies in terms of legal interventions for the focus groups in the working villages. The resource persons could clarify all the doubts that the partners raised in the program and to consolidate all the points that came up in the discussion. The one day interaction was a prelude to all possible legal interventions to the mill workers and other community members in the working villages.

5.2. Three day training on Financial Management for Partners

The three day training on Financial Management was very helpful to all partners and Vaan Muhil learnt a lot on various related topics such as financial policy, budgeting, internal control systems, accounting, recording of transaction, legal compliances, reporting and auditing. The intensive training gave an updated information related to above mentioned topics and legal requirement that are needed for NGOs. The group exercises and case studies presented were very good in learning these things and these exercises made the sessions were lively, participatory and enriching.

5.3. Facilitators’ conference for Partners

The one day district level conferences for all facilitators of the four Freedom Fund Partners in VirudhuNagar district were held at Sivaakasi, VirudhuNagar Town and Aruppukkottai. The conferences provided a platform for all facilitators to share their work experiences, practical difficulties and best practices in the implementation of the project. The inputs on Sexual harassment at work places were very useful to all facilitators and the participation of the members from DLSA and other departments was a motivation for them. The cultural programs performed by the facilitators in the afternoon brought more joy and closeness among them. The sharing of facilitators was a very good learning and they also had an opportunity to speak about their achievements, best practices and challenges. The input session on ESI and PF benefits by the resource person was useful to all facilitators, who could understand the entire benefits of ESI and PF for the working women.

Vaan Muhil collaborates with other civil society groups and networks that work on women rights, child rights, labour rights, dalit rights and human rights across Tamil Nadu. It has been part of several networks that are taking up specific rights issues at state and national level, particularly on bonded labour, child labour, forced labour, migrant labour, human trafficking and right to education.

4.1. Taking up common issues as a follow up of interface meetings with Government officials

Vaan Muhil works in coordination with other stakeholders at block and district level, including government departments, panchayat raj institutions, educational institutions and District Legal Services Authority. Interface meetings with various government officials are beening organized in villages by Vaan Muhil

Government officials are invited for the village and block level meetings by the project staff and concrete issues are discussed in the meetings. The field staff, along with concerned CRC facilitators, plan for the meetings in advance, and identify key issues in the villages and prepare the people accordingly ahead of the meetings.

Petitions are submitted to the officials concerned during the meetings and specific requests are put forth by the villagers, for instance need for separate ration shop, construction of (health) sub centre, proper link roads and better transportation facilities, construction of common toilets, removal of TASMAC shops, better drinking water facilities, improved library facility, repair of bridges, improved drainage facilities, better implementation of Government schemes, Improved waste management, OAP pension, disability assistance, and bank loans for SHGs. The officials present also explain to the people about their role and the possibilities of the demands being met by them.

A couple of demands have been met after a series of meetings with the officials as follow up of the interface meetings. For instance, link road between Chellampatty – Kurichiarpatty – Korukkampatty, which was in a very bad condition has been repaired as a result of one such interface meeting.

“As a result of the interface meeting held in our village, the floor of our Anganwadi Centre has been properly repaired. We brought this to the notice of the Government officials in the interface meeting and this was taken note of by the VAO, who made efforts to repair the floor and now it is neatly done.”

– S. Petchiammal, CSG member, Keezhapottalpatti.

4.2. Meaningful Observance of Important days

Some of the important days are meaningfully being observed by the Adolescent Girls Groups and Community Support Groups in the working villages. The Republic Day (26^th January), The International Women’s Day (08^th March), The May Day (01^st May), Kamarajar Birth day (15^th July), and which is celebrated as Education Day in Tamil Nadu, Anti Human Trafficking Day (30^th July), the Independence Day (15^th August), Teachers Day (05^th September), Gandhi Jeyanthi (2^nd October), the International Children’s Day (14^th November), International Human Rights Day (10^th December), are meaningfully observed, wherein community members actively participate. This kind of observance creates awareness on the themes among the village people and makes them involved in it. Most of these important days are quite relevant to the thematic focus, particularly on girl child protection, bonded labour, human trafficking and human rights.

During Pongal celebrations in the month of January, the community members in all  villages are fully involved in organizing sports and games for school going children, adolescent  girls and boys in their villages. They themselves collect money from the locals and distribute prizes to the children, boys and girls. Pongal celebrations are also meaningful socialization / get together among people of different communities.

4.3 Formation of Migrant workers groups

Three migrant workers groups have been formed and the project staff are in touch with the migrant workers groups in Keezhanmarainadu in Vembakkottai block and  Edayankulam in Srivilliputhur block. They have collected preliminary details about their living and working conditions in their work places. The staff have listed out the required support to the migrant workers groups in the two blocks, mainly awareness creation, educational support to their children and health camps.

4.4. Participation of Community members in Grama Sabha Meetings

The active participation of community members in the Grama Sabha Meetings helps the communities to raise their voices and grievances in local governance. They raise important issues in the meetings relating to basic amenities such as drainage, repair of road, construction of public toilets, construction of small bridge / check dam, cleaning of villages and so on. They also demand the government officials for inadequate funds allotted to their villages and improper use of funds for construction of toilets. In a working village, community members brought the non-repair of roads and land patta issues to the knowledge of the District Collector when he visited the village. In another village, the community members highlighted the issue of manual scavengers and collecting garbage / distribution of dustbins to all areas in the villages.

Vaan Muhil organizes public education programs on labour rights at community level – for adolescent girls groups and for community support groups in the working villages. Young working women try to understand on aspects of labour rights such as working hours, minimum wage, health and safety measures, freedom of movement and so on. The Film Based Curriculum, designed to educate the adolescent working girls and community members, is a tool for them.

The community members, after attending the trainings, begin to understand various dimensions of mill work, involving the adolescent girls and young women. They are able to understand the aspirations of these working adolescent girls, besides the hardships and ordeal they undergo in the mill during working hours. “Call me Priya” creates ripples in their minds and the members begin to grasp the overall issue, revolving around mill related work and its far reaching implications. They are able to raise questions about modern forms of bonded labour in textile sector, basic information about workers’ rights, minimum wages, working hours and health and safety issues.

Regular meetings are organized for Community Support Groups to drive the message home, i.e, sexual harassment, importance of girl child education and the role of CSG members in preventing young workers from entering high risk exploitative work situation. By way of creating awareness on labour rights and Vaan Muhil’s interventions, four page IEC materials in simple Tamil have been developed and distributed among the members.

3.2. Legal Support services to the survivors

Vaan Muhil provides legal support services to the victims of labour exploitation by assisting them in preparation of the complaints / petitions and accompanying them to follow up the cases. The organization was actively involved in the state level public hearing held in Chennai in 2018, organized by the Tamil Nadu State Women Commission. 

Totally 50 working women have received legal support and 35 have received compensation amount (to the tune on 50 lakhs) for PF and other statutory benefits from the employers.

In the cases of two deaths in the mills that were taken up in the Public Hearing in Chennai, petitions have been sent to the State Women Commission once again to intervene in their matters so that the victims could get the remaining compensation amount at the earliest. The State Women Commission had sent letters to the Superintendent of Police, Vidudhu Nagar on 19.02.2019, directing the SP to register an FIR in these two cases.

2.1. Linkages to Government Schemes and services

Vaan Muhil organizes livelihood support programs for the survivors of loabour exploitations and their family members through skill development trainings and micro enterprises with possible financial support. The organization also makes linkages with government departments so that the needy families get benefits through government schemes and services such as OAP pensions for the elderly, Ration Card, Aadhar Card and applying for free gas cylinder, loans for animal husbandary, Poultry, goats and individual toilets for the homes. The facilitators also link the unorganized workers in the villages to the welfare boards so that financial assistance and other statutory benefits will reach them. The details of the various social protection schemes are being explained to the community members and the poor people benefit out of these social protection schemes.

2.2. Vocational and skill development trainings for the survivors

With the view of rehabilitating the adolescent girl workers in spinning mills and survivors of labour exploitation, Vaan Muhil supports  deserving young women for vocational and skill development  courses. Besides, interested boys and girls take certificate courses supported by Panchayat Union Office, exploring employment opportunities for these trained adolescent girls, after the training period.

With the support of HRDS India (Deen Dayal Upadhya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana) as part of Skill up Rural India, as initiative by Rural Development Ministry, Government of India, ten adolescents from Sundankulam and Kothankulam joined the three month training course (ITES – IT enabled service) in Coimbatore. Vaan Muhil specially organized half day programs to adolescent boys in eight villages on Skill up Rural India, Deen Dayal Upadhya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana Project and motivated the boys to join the program.

2.3. Strengthening Self Help Groups in Working villages

Efforts are on to strengthen the Self Help Groups that have been formed in the working villages. Totally 55 women SHGs are functioning in the villages and many groups have received bank loans. These group members including survivors of mill work or female family members, are supported with training inputs on group formation, book keeping and linkages with financial institutions.

2.4. Micro Enterprises for young women

With the support of Vaan Muhil, the needy young women from vulnerable families in the working village are able to start micro enterprises to ear and additional income to run their families. Vaan Muhil assists them in linking with financial institutions wherever possible. After they start micro enterprises, the young women become self reliant, trying the stand on their own feet, with the income they earn.

The children get involved in beyond class room exercises and interactions and learn about Child Rights, Women Rights, Human Rights and Labour Rights.

1.1 Community Resource Centres in working Villages

• Community Resource Centres in the working villages provide meaningful spaces for the school going children to develop their dormant potentials and their personality through their active participation in a number of extra curricular activities such as Yoga, folk arts like Silambam , dances and drama, games, competitions, talent shows, spoken English and handicraft preparation.
• The children get involved in beyond class room exercises and interactions and learn about Child Rights, Women Rights, Human Rights and Labour Rights.
• The children meaningfully observe important days in a year, (International Children’s Day, International Human Rights Day, the Anti Child Labour Day, the Anti Human Trafficking Day, Teacher’s Day, International Women’s Day, the Republic Day, the Independence Day, the May Day and so on), they are able to understand about the relevance and significance of these important days and try to imbibe values out of these observances.
• The facilitators organize Science Expo through CRCs for school going children in their villages to promote scientific temper and creativity among them and also exposure visits to different nearby places which help the children widen their thinking.
• The facilitators motivate the children to take part in school, zonal and district level competitions and make them read news papers everyday and take special interest in developing their reading habits.
• The facilitators also organize career guidance programs to Higher Secondary School students in the CRCs so that they get proper direction after their schooling.
• The facilitators organize special events during Pongal celebrations and other village festivals for school children in the CRCs to promote equality and communal harmony in the villages.
• Awareness campaigns are being organized on many social themes among the children such as use of plastics, dengue awareness, child protection, girl child education, labour rights, child rights, child sexual abuse and human rights.
• More and more school going children from the centres are showing their talents in the district and state level competitions and getting prizes for their performances.
• Six girls and boys from Kothankulam village have been selected for state level Boxing and ‘Karathe’ competitions.
• Manimala from Lakshimiyapuram village bagged first prize in the State level competition called “Way to Success” and she got Rs. 2500/-.
• Navinkumar from Chellampatty won third prize in the State level Throw Ball competition.
• Kokila from Kothankulam won the second prize in District level Wrestling Competition
• Many children took part in the essay competitions, organized by Thulir Magazine
• 36 CRC children from Achamthavilthan organized a Science Expo in their own village, wherein they prepared and displayed science objects (models) and their own innovation / small scientific instruments and explained to the people who witnessed the Science Expo. The children also explained to the CSG members who visited the EXPO about nutritional value needed for growing children.
• At least 75 vulnerable children and survivors have enrolled themselves to either formal or non formal education and out of them, 55 enrolled at the high school level , while the remaining 20 have been supported with educational assistance to pursue their studies at graduation level, who otherwise would have been forced to go for mill work.

1.2. Health Camps for Adolescent Girls

Vaan Muhil organizes one day health camps for adolescent girls and young women. Girls are referred to various hospitals for further treatment by the doctors after the medical camps in the villages. Vaan Muhil has a tie up with the Meenachi Mission Hospital, Madurai, Mathi Hospital, Sivakasi, Anilkumar Eye Hospital, Sivakasi and Hanumantha Homeopathy Clinic, Sivkasi for these medical camps. The medical team creates awareness among the adolescents on adolescent period and health related issues for them. The adolescent girls are able to understand the problems of their adolescent period and benefitted out of these medical camps. The Primary Health Centres in the working area are supportive to the project team and the doctors are willing to be there for these camps, when Vaan Muhil approach them for assistance.

1.3. Career guidance courses for Rural students and preparations for TNPSC exams

Vaan Muhil organizes career guidance courses for girls and boys studying secondary school. The students are given motivational inputs as to their future career after +2 exams and they are given a number of graduate courses that they can choose after their secondary schooling and these courses are also helpful to them to set a goal in their life and a clear plan for their future. The Higher Secondary Schools in the working villages are very supportive of Vaan Muhil’s initiatives in organizing these courses. Study materials for competitive exams are also distributed to the boys and girls, who are interested in preparing the TNPSC exams. Special coachings are organized in a couple of villages for the interested students to prepare for the exams.

1.4. Exposure visits and Summer Camps for Adolescent Girls and School going children

Vaan Muhil organizes exposure visits for adolescent girls and special summer camps for school going children from the villages. The exposure visits to new centres of learning for the girls are very useful to widen their thinking. A number of exposure visits are planned for children from the working villages to nearby towns, in some cases to far off places like Kodaikanal, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Thekkadi, Achankovil(kerala) and Tuticorin shipyard. The nearby places include Thiruvannamalai Temple, Saneewarar Temple, Andal Temple, Madha Temple, Srivilliputhur Rajapalayam Park and Alangulam Cement Factory.
Special summer camps are being organized in a number of villages for these children. These camps include yoga, drawing competitions, arts from waste program, spoken English coaching and artificial jewellery making sessions in the villages.

1.5. “Call Me Priya” – Film Based Curriculum training for adolescent girls

Vaan Muhil conducts refresher trainings on Film Based Curriculum for adolescent girls and these trainings further reinforce the key messages. These regular meetings pave way for meaningful interaction with adolescent girls about the messages in the sessions after viewing ‘Call Me Priya’. The FBC training to the adolescent girls and the messages that have been given to them through the trainings slowly work among the girls. “Call me Priya” film made a profound impact on the girls, particularly those mill workers, who identify themselves in the character of Priya in the film and explore to find out solutions for their problems.

Our working villages in Virudhunagar District

Srivilliputhur Block

1. Melathottiyapatty
2. Perumbalseri
3. Sengulam
4. Edayankulam
5. Athikulam
6. Natchiyarpatty
7. Vaithialingapuram
8. Padikasuvaithanpatty
9. Kothankulam
10. K. Thottiyapatty
11. Keelapottalopatty
12. Laksmiyapuram
13. Noorsahipuram
14. Edayapottalpatty
15. Thulukkankulam
16. R. K. Pudhur
17. Puthusennelkulam
18. Achamthavirthan
19. Thombakulam

Vembakkottai Block

1. R. Reddiyapatty
2. Subramaiapuram
3. Puliparaipatty
4. P. Thiruvengidapuram
5. Kongankulam
6. keelarajakularaman
7. Sankaramoorthipatty
8. Rasapatty
9. A. Lakshmiapuram
10. Keelanmarainadu
11. Sevalpatty
12. Sundankulam
13. Chellampatty
14. Korukkampatty
15. Kurichiyarpatty