A silent warrior fighting gender-based violence in Delhi - By Smita Sharma

Rishi Kant, seen on his way to a village in Haryana.

Even during the lockdown, he and his organisation had been working tirelessly to free minor girls trapped in various red light areas of India.

Rishi Kant at a meeting with some members of the Khap Panchayat at Dhakla village, Haryana.

Khaps are community groups comprising mostly of elderly men from the Jat community in northern India that act as quasi-judicial bodies and make decisions on various societal issues based on traditional customs.

Rishi, in conversation with Santosh, a mother of two at Dhakla village, Haryana.

Rishi’s first rescue was in 2001 when he freed three minor girls from the Mewat district of Haryana, who were brought from Hajo, Assam, by middlemen and sold as brides. It was then that he realised how rampant bride trafficking was in this region, where the male- to- female ratio is very skewed against women provided more scope for trafficking.

Rishi Kant during his field visit at Dhakla village, Haryana.

Besides human trafficking, Rishi and his organisation have been combatting honour killing and violence against women and they regularly advocate and campaign for legal and policy changes.

Rishi believes the first step to rectifying the gender ratio imbalance is by challenging the archaic and patriarchal mindset that considers women as mere commodities for marriage. 

“The girls I rescued came from extremely poor families and had a language barrier. They were helpless and trapped in that so-called marriage. Every girl I met had a story and sometimes a heartbreaking one. There are still some women who continue to live here with their children and think it’s better to suffer than face extreme poverty back home”.

Rishi Kant speaks to Rina Rajpal, 37, a mother of two who was brought to this village by a middleman from her home state of Tripura in North East India at the age of 19 and sold as a bride.

Rishi Kant speaks to a newly married young girl Devanti, who was taken out of school by her parents from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and was married to a truck driver in Haryana.

Rishi Kant speaks to members of a family about the role of middlemen in bride trafficking and raises awareness on the issue at a village in Haryana where the male to female ratio is very skewed against women providing more scope for trafficking.

Rishi is unstoppable and continues to support young girls from extreme situations. 

“My brothers and I have been fighting for women’s issues for a long time and we have faced many threats and challenges along the way. During any bad day, I always tell myself that even if it is helping free one girl from enslavement, the journey is worth it."

Rishi Kant, 48, started his activism journey from the red-light areas of Delhi working on the issue of HIV-AIDS and for the rights of sex workers. In 2001, he along with his two elder brothers co-founded the non-profit Shakti Vahini, to fight against gender-based violence.