Shelter Home emerging as Life Savior

Manika came to Delhi 15 years ago, having migrated from the village of Tanger Toli Belkuba, Tehsil-Bolba Simdega, Jharkhand. She spent 2.5 years working as a domestic worker at Karol Bagh, Delhi. Following that, she returned to her hometown and worked as a daily wage worker and in agriculture for several years.

While living in village she faced domestic violence by her husband, husband’s sister-in-law, and mother-in-law. Her husband committed suicide by consuming poison in front of her. Her mother-in law thrown her out from the house, “saying that what will you do here if my son is no more now” therefore she decided to come Delhi again to save her life leaving her daughter and son with her brother.

She visited Delhi in November 2023 and stayed at a shelter home close to Bangla Saheb Gurudwara, New Delhi. She told us that she had a terrible experience there because the locals there had treated her horribly. She managed to stay between drug dealers and criminals despite not having enough money to travel to a safer location. There, she had been sexually abused, had severely bitten, and had her ID documents stolen.

Caritas India works to protect the rights of migrants through the Pravasi Bandhu program on migrants’ safety. Seeing several cases, it was found that many migrants who are traveling from villages to big cities like Delhi in search of employment lack a place to stay. As a result, they frequently end up living in unsafe public spaces like roads, railway stations, and unsafe shelter homes, which are particularly dangerous for women. Additionally, migrants are unable to rent a room because they do not have enough money to do so initially; instead, they arrange their own living arrangements once they find employment.

Recognizing this issue, Caritas India established a Short Stay Shelter home specifically for migrants coming from long distance to cities in search of job. Pravasi Bandhu Shelter home provides free food services and health facilities to all the stayed people. Additionally, prioritize offering vocational training to improve their skills and help them land a job as per their skills and capabilities. The Pravasi bandhu Short Stay Shelter homes are in Gandhinagar, Goa, and Delhi.

Manika came to Pravasi Bandhu shelter home to seek safe shelter and medical treatment, she came with Ms. Chinmayee who is one of the beneficiaries of the program, when she came to program Shelter home she seems very afraid due to physical & mental torture that happened with her. Pravasi Bandhu team provided her homely atmosphere with another Jharkhand’s Domestic Workers. Now till the time team talked with her she became normal and able to talk about her past life and what she faced during staying at the previous place.

She came and stayed at Pravasi Bandhu Shelter home. Project team helped her to made ID document such as Adhar Card, Pan Card etc. for placing her in new job as domestic worker. For Migrants like Manika who was going through tough time at here even though she worked for many years here before, then also she faced a terrible experience, Caritas India initiative improving the lives of some of these migrants and giving them newfound hope.