About Us

Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

A centre for learning, empowering and liberating people from bondages…

WHO WE ARE

The ‘Barasat Unnayan Prostuti’ - (BUP) is predominantly a Right-based Humanitarian NGO initiated by a Social Activist Mr. Ranjit Dutta with the help of a group of dedicated friends after seeing the inhuman plight of hundreds of women along with their innocent children who are victims of human trafficking in person and circumstances, and how the society treats them even after when they’re rescued from such life threatening situations. Thus; ‘BUP’ was born out of dire necessity primarily to end human trafficking in person and ensure justice for the thousands of voiceless victims of servitude facing serious adverse circumstances with multiple layers of exploitations, gender-based violence, early marriages, economic and social exclusions etc. The ‘BUP’ was registered in the State of West Bengal, in the year 1993, and subsequently with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, to undertake necessary actions essentially to end these heinous human rights violations in the state and lift the communities out of such traps.

Over a period of time, the ‘Barasat Unnayan Prostuti’ - (BUP) has raised and trained a group of youth leaders who too were once victims of circumstances, to carry forward the works of the organization as they’re the persons who understand better the sufferings of their fellow human beings and are therefore passionate to serve the communities. Together as a team, they make all the major decisions, identify the needs, implement and evaluate the projects. The ‘BUP’ is now guided and supported by a couple of research and professional bodies, experts, lawyers, retired judges and law enforcement agencies to develop resilience against such injustices and improve governance that begins at the local community levels. The ‘BUP’s focus is to alleviate the ‘factors’ causing gross human rights violations, manmade but avoidable disasters and endless sufferings of the people and planet alike, and it’s possible if we could unite communities against such menace.

WHAT WE DO

The 'BUP' strives to eradicate the 'factors' causing unsafe mass-migrations that eventually ends up with large-scale human trafficking in persons and enslavement for exploitation through several crafty means, and agents who build well-entrenched underground black economy.

The 'BUP' undertakes several initiatives to develop 'Resilience against Exploitations and Human Rights Violations', apart from 'Rescue Operation'. For this 'BUP' empowers women and youth with literacy and necessary skills essential to improve human resources, community capacity and to re-build local economy using local resources creating alternative livelihood that prevents unsafe mass-migration.

We are at the forefront of 'Reforming Socio-cultural and Religious Institutes' that govern the communities depriving women of their equal rights... because of which the vast majority of the women from rural and low income urban communities remain illiterate. Because illiteracy and lack of livelihood force many women and youth to undertake unsafe migration in search of food, and in the due process many of them become victims of human trafficking in person.

We engage and empower 'Community Leaders along with Policy Makers' at various levels... together to bring in the changes of community behavior towards women and children particularly the girls; ensuring them to complete certain level of education so as to make them free from exploitations, child labour, child marriages and violence at home and elsewhere.

We also work closely with the members of judiciaries and law enforcement agencies to ensure speedy justice delivery to the victims of human trafficking and persons of social, economic and religiously excluded because of which the present crises has become so acute over a period of time.

We organize the most un-organized labour class daily wages and domestic help workers as a united strength against exploitations.

We form 'Citizens' Parliaments' - (CPAN/VPAN/WPAN) at multiple levels to empower citizens with voter education, citizen's rights etc. that eventually strengthens democratic institutes giving them leverage to represent in the local body elections and become part of the decision making process to ensure social and economic justice of the marginalized.

CORE VALUES

  • All people have the right to live in peaceful communities and participate fully in the decisions that affect their lives.
  • Intrinsic and fundamental human rights, dignity and equality before law for all citizens.
  • Society where all people are free to participate fully in civic, economic, and cultural life.
  • Addressing inequalities that cut across multiple lines, including race, class, gender, sexual orientation and citizenship.
  • Stewardship of Planet`s environment by her people, pledging to accountably and efficiently preserve and manage its resources.
  • Human`s natural urge and ability to thrive and not just exist and instinct to develop resilience against all injustices.

APPROACH

  • Data driven evidence based ‘systems thinking’ approach enables us to deepen our understanding about the complex and interconnected social, economic and political environments.
  • We explore the factors and forces developing the pattern in which a problem arises to gain clarity about the challenges.
  • Involving all the stakeholders is a crucial leverage point and above all an opportunity to share the collective wisdom in multiplying the impact.
  • We take full advantage of the lessons we learn and remain open to alternative and or better avenues that increase our ability to foster development enduring social changes.

Our Vision

The ‘BUP’ envisions a just society where all people, irrespective of their gender, caste, creed, ethnicity or religion can fully utilize their potential to flourish and help others also to thrive.

Our Mission

The ‘BUP’ is highly focused on the purpose of its existence and determined to make a lasting impact in the target communities guided by our values with the following missions:

  • Rescue and Rehabilitate both the ‘Victims and the Perpetrators’ of the human rights violations namely human trafficking in person, bonded labours, social and economic exclusions, to ensure justice and re-instate them back to the mainstream guided by our core values which is to ensure lasting peace rather than strife and revenge
  • Develop Resilience within the communities against human trafficking in person in India and this sub-continent, by mobilizing community leaders, volunteers, elected body members and all stake holders against such crimes
  • Re-build Local Economy (LED) – essential to alleviate intergenerational poverty - a major factor for the marginalized to get exploited further by taking advantage of their dire circumstances
  • Educate and Empower - the women and children particularly the adolescent girls with literacy, skills and knowledge they need to avert mass-migration that ends up in human trafficking in person, increases gender-based & domestic violence, school drop-outs and early marriages
  • Improve Governance that starts at the local levels with bottom up approach ensuring equal and proportional representations by the locally raised youth leaders.

Apart from ‘Rescue Operation’, the ‘BUP’ has Five Strategic Intervention Initiatives aimed at ensuring social and economic justice, human rights, rule of law, freedom to profess, expansion of human and social capitals with individual talents and the right to participate in decision making process, making democracy and governance inclusive and work for the common citizens…

  • Improving Governance from the grass-root level – is a bottom up approach with equal and proportional representations
  • Strengthening Democratic Institutes to ensure participation of locally raised leaders
  • Developing Human and Social Capital with a Value System
  • Efforts to re-build Local Economy (LED) to lift the Communities out of Poverty (COP)
  • Training and Empowering personnel from Judiciaries, Law Enforcement Agencies and Leaders of Community Institutes to ensure equal justice with rule of law

Leadarship

Sambhu Nanda - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Sambhu Nanda
Program Manager

Tafiquel Hassan - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Tafiquel Hassan
Program Manager

Team Members

Rama Saha - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Rama Saha
MIS Coodinator

Mantu Sharma - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Mantu Sharma
Finance Officer

Soma Sarkar - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Soma Sarkar
Senior Social Worker

Lab Barick - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Lab Barick
Senior Social Worker

Sujata Adhikary - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Sujata Adhikary
Field Supervisor

Satya Mondal - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Satya Mondal
Field Supervisor

Rumashree Barick - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Rumashree Barick
Social Worker

Pampi Maity - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Pampi Maity
Field Supervisor

Susanta Mondal - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Susanta Mondal
Field Supervisor

Biplob Mazumder  - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Biplob Mazumder
Documentation & MIS Officer

Subhajit Das - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Subhajit Das
Accountant

Manas Sen - Barasat Unnayan Prostuti

Manas Sen
Social Worker