DigitalKush: adding initial post basic info

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adding initial post basic info

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{{Short description|Indian public awareness campaign}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
| logo = Missinggirlslogo.jpg
| type = 12A, 80G
| name = Missing Link Trust
| founded = 2014
| founder = Leena Kejriwal
| location = 73 Bentinck Street, [[Kolkata]]-700001, India
| region_served = India
| focus = Raising awareness on sex trafficking
| website = [https://www.savemissinggirls.com/ Official website]
}}

'''Missing Link Trust''' is a nonprofit organization that uses art and educational campaigns to raise awareness and prevent child [[sex trafficking]]. Their work includes public sculpture installations, stencil campaigns, the interactive video game ''Missing: Game for a Cause'', and the interactive online comic ''Web of Deceit - A missing and trafficking casefile''. The organization was awarded the 2021 Stop Slavery Campaigns Award from the [[Thomson Reuters Foundation]].

==Objective==
[[File:Missing girl stencil and rural awareness.jpg|thumb|NGO's collaborating with MISSING for the stencil project]]
The mission of the organization is "to combine art and technology in creating mass awareness amongst the public,
through innovative ways, leading to prevention of sex trafficking."<ref name="Official website">{{cite web |title=MISSING |url=https://www.savemissinggirls.com/ |website=Missing Link Trust |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref>

Missing is a four-part public awareness campaign. It tackles the first P of the [[United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking]] four P strategy on anti-trafficking, prevention through advocacy and awareness.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.w4.org/en/wowwire/missing-indian-girls-lost-to-prostitution/|title=Missing: The Shadows of India's Girls & Women Lost to Prostitution|date=11 January 2016|website=W4.org|accessdate=13 March 2019}}</ref>

==Operations==

Missing has operations in 6 countries Including India, United States, UK, Germany, Sudan, Tanzania. Missing has worked with [[NGOs]] and organizations including the Rotary Teach Programme, Yes Foundation, Rotaractors, iPartner India, Women and [[Child Development]] Ministry, iVolunteer, Association for the Promotion of Social Change (APSA), Jamghat, Nedan Foundation, Paint Our World, Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES), Prerana, RAHAT, STOP, Udayan Care, and Vatsalya.

==History==
As a photographer, Leena Kejriwal became motivated to raise awareness about the prevalence of [[sex trafficking]] in India.<ref name="Ramani 2018" /> When she first started working with [[NGOs]] like Hamari Muskan and New Light as an artist, she created complicated [[installation art|installations]] within [[Art museum|gallery]] spaces on the subject. Kejriwal began working in [[Kalighat]] with [[Rotary International]] as a volunteer in 2007 and wrote the book ''Kolkata Repossessing the City'', which later developed into art exhibitions.<ref name="Maddox 2015">{{cite news |last1=Maddox |first1=Georgina |title=Girl, cut out |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/watch/girl-cut-out/article7460275.ece |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[Business Line|The Hindu Business Line]] |date=24 July 2015}}</ref> After gallery exhibitions did not reach a wide audience, Kejriwal decided to develop public art installations to raise awareness.<ref name="Salian 2015">{{cite news |last1=Salian |first1=Priti |title=India's 'dark holes' where millions of girls disappear |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/12/17/indias-dark-holes-where-millions-of-girls-disappear/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=17 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="Ramani 2018" /> Kejriwal founded the Missing Link organization in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hewlett Packard Enterprise takes top prize at Stop Slavery Award |url=https://news.trust.org/item/20210225135819-yt4qr |access-date=14 March 2022 |work=[[Thomson Reuters Foundation]] |date=February 25, 2021}}</ref>

==Public art installations==
[[File:Missing Silhouettes on the urban skyline- june 2017.jpg|thumb|left|Black silhouettes of young girls placed against the urban skyline]]
In January 2014, the installation M.I.S.S.I.N.G. was shown outdoors at the [[India Art Fair]], consisting of three female figures cut from steel and painted black to reflect the [[Gender inequality in India|gender gap in India]], described by Kejriwal as "like sharp, black holes cut out of the sky. Holes into which millions of girls disappear from the face of this earth."<ref name="AFP 01-31-2014">{{cite news |title=India's 'missing' women cast shadow over national art fair |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/feb/01/india-art-fair-2014-missing-women |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]] |date=31 January 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Stencil project by Missing girls -2017.jpg|thumb|right|The Missing Stencil]]
In 2015, the M.I.S.S.I.N.G. project expanded into a nationwide public art installation, with stencils used to spraypaint black silhouettes of girls in cities including [[Bangalore]], [[Delhi]] and [[Chennai]] to raise awareness about the estimated tens of thousands of girls that disappear each year and over a million children working in the sex industry in India.<ref name="Bachman 2015">{{cite news |last1=Bachman |first1=Jessica |title=India's Missing art project offers stark reminder of girls taken into sexual slavery – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/aug/01/missing-india-art-project-girls-disappearing-sexual-slavery-prostitution-in-pictures |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=1 August 2015}}</ref> Kejriwal used [[crowdfunding]] to help raise money to expand the project.<ref name="Salian 2015" /><ref name="Langa 2017">{{cite news |last1=Langa |first1=Prerana |title=Approaches for NGO Funding |url=https://thecsrjournal.in/approaches-for-ngo-funding/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=The CSR Journal |date=21 January 2017}}</ref> The NGOs Apne Aap and Hamari Muskan collaborated in the stencil campaign in [[West Bengal]].<ref name="Ghose 2015">{{cite news |last1=Ghose |first1=Chandreyee |title=Girls paint town black with a cause |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/girls-paint-town-black-with-a-cause/cid/1491250 |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] |date=10 May 2015}}</ref>

The organization launched a website, Savemissinggirls.com, with downloadable stencil kits featuring silhouettes of girls and an emergency government helpline number (1098) for children.<ref name="Ramani 2018">{{cite news |last1=Ramani |first1=Priya |title=The row, row, row theory of life |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/iVQwtSHpGWulZLQdfz2MMM/The-row-row-row-theory-of-life.html |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |date=22 June 2018}}</ref>

The sculpture project expanded with support from [[Sangita Jindal]] and the JSW Foundation, and a smartphone app was created to provide viewers with more information and links to NGOs working to prevent child trafficking.<ref name="Ghosh">{{cite news |last1=Ghosh |first1=Durba |title=Girls without a face |url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/girls-without-a-face/articleshow/50673693.cms |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[Bangalore Mirror]] |date=22 January 2016}}</ref> In 2018, the project included sculptures throughout [[Kolkata]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/clip/35585e3b-8985-4aa1-bf6d-beff20d53d98|title=#ThoseMissingGirls|date=23 January 2018|website=BBC Three|accessdate=13 March 2019}}</ref>

There are more than 5000 project stencils across villages and cities in India.<ref name="Purchese 2022" /> Missing's stencil projects are in 17 cities, including [[Anupshahr]], [[Bengaluru]], Berlin, [[Chennai]], [[Delhi]], [[Dodoma]], Goa, [[Jaipur]], [[Kishanganj]], [[Khartoum]], Kokrajjar, [[Kolkata]], Los Angeles, London, [[Mumbai]], [[Pune]] and [[Salt Lake City]].

In 2021, filmmaker [[Miriam Chandy Menacherry]] released a documentary titled ''From the Shadows'' that features survivors of child trafficking.<ref name="Shyam 2021">{{cite news |last1=Shyam |first1=Radhika D |title=Scream from the shadows |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/sunday-herald/sh-top-stories/scream-from-the-shadows-1003631.html |access-date=10 March 2022 |work=[[Deccan Herald]] |date=July 4, 2021}}</ref> Menacherry began work on the film five years prior, after seeing the #missing stencil art and finding Kejriwal.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Edex Live |title=From the Shadows: Miriam Chandy's docu on trafficking victims and their pursuit for justice is compelling |url=https://www.edexlive.com/news/2021/may/26/from-the-shadows-miriam-chandys-docu-on-trafficking-victims-and-their-pursuit-for-justice-is-compe-21106.html |access-date=10 March 2022 |work=[[The New Indian Express]] |date=May 26, 2021}}</ref>

==''Missing: Game for a Cause''==
[[File:Missing game for a cause screenshot - June 2017.png|thumb|left|A screenshot of the Missing Game]]
In 2016, ''Missing: Game for a Cause'' was distributed as a free [[interactive game]] for mobile and PC to raise awareness about the experiences of child victims of sex trafficking.<ref name="Ramani 2018" /><ref name="Takahashi 2017">{{cite news |last1=Takahashi |first1=Dean |title=Missing: The Complete Saga puts spotlight on child sex trafficking |url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/25/missing-the-complete-saga-puts-spotlight-on-child-sex-trafficking/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[VentureBeat]] |date=25 August 2017}}</ref> Kejriwal developed the game with Flying Robot Studios in [[Kolkata]], India.<ref name="Takahashi 2017"/> By 2017, the team was developing a [[role-playing game]] version, ''Missing: The Complete Saga'', and raising money on [[Kickstarter]] to expand the development team.<ref name="Takahashi 2017"/> The team raised $50,795 on Kickstarter to develop the game.<ref name="Ramani 2018" />

The game is intended for a mature audience, and aims to expose the player to the dark world of human trafficking and raise awareness about it. The [[Video game developer|game developer]] Satyajit Chakraborty travelled with Kejriwal to different [[red light districts]] in [[Kolkata]] and to rural Bengal to better understand the issue.<ref name="Purchese 2022" />

By 2021, ''MISSING: Game for a Cause'' had over a million downloads between 70 countries.<ref name="TRF 2021" />

==''Web of Deceit - A missing and trafficking casefile''==
Missing Link Trust worked jointly with [[International Justice Mission]] to develop a [[mobile app]] for [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices titled "Web of Deceit - A missing and trafficking casefile" that was released in 2021.<ref name="Ghosh 01-30-2021">{{cite news |last1=Ghosh |first1=Dwaipayan |title=Now, superhero comics inspire people to fight human trafficking |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/now-superhero-comics-inspire-people-to-fight-human-trafficking/articleshow/80591589.cms |access-date=14 March 2022 |work=[[Times of India]] |date=January 30, 2021}}</ref> The app is an interactive comic designed to educate people about human trafficking and resources to get help.<ref name="Ghosh 01-30-2021"/> The comic features a young woman as the main character and includes information about legal rights.<ref name="Chaudhuri 01-22-2021">{{cite news |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Monalisa |title=Trafficking story in comic strip to spread awareness |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/calcutta/trafficking-story-in-comic-strip-to-spread-awareness/cid/1804457 |access-date=14 March 2022 |work=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] |date=January 22, 2021}}</ref>

==Educational campaigns==
[[File:Rural awaraness campaign organized by missing - June 2018.jpg|thumb|left| Educating the students about Human trafficking]]
[[File:Leena kejriwal with the students at Kutoli.jpg|thumb|right|Leena Kejriwal with the students at a school during the rural awareness campaign]]
The organization also conducts educational campaigns across India that include programs for schools.<ref name="Kirpal 2020">{{cite news |last1=Kirpal |first1=Neha |title=She's Out to Save India's Missing Girls Using Art and a Digital Game |url=https://eshe.in/2020/03/17/leena-kejriwal/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=eShe |date=17 March 2020}}</ref> In 2017, the organization conducted the "MISSING on a Journey" campaign, which included presentations at schools, street theatre, and public stencils in Ranchi, Lucknow, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi.<ref name="Khandelwal 2017">{{cite news |last1=Khandelwal |first1=Tara |title=Artist Leena Kejriwal On 'Missing': Video Game For A Cause |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/artist-leena-kejriwal-video-game-missing-game-cause/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[SheThePeople]] |date=14 November 2017}}</ref>

The organization has also worked with experts to develop the Missing Awareness and Safety School program (MASSp), for children ages 13 to 17.<ref>{{cite web |title=Missing Awareness and Safety School program (MASSp) |date=4 November 2019 |url=https://www.savemissinggirls.com/educate/#missing-awareness-and-safety-school-program |publisher=Missing Link Trust |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref>

==Livelihood Project==
[[File:Nayantara a survivor on whom part of the missing story is based.jpg|thumb|right|A survivor working with MISSING on the livelihood project]]
By 2018, the work of the organization expanded to include mentoring of young girls in [[West Bengal]],<ref name="Ramani 2018" /> as well as financial support for the development of new skills.<ref name="Ghosh"/> The organization began a livelihood programme in rural Bengal for survivors of trafficking and vulnerable girls in high-trafficking areas, with mentoring for [[tailoring]], [[computer programming]], [[videography]] and in poultry farming.

==Awards==
*''Missing: Game for a Cause'' won the [[NASSCOM]] Indie Game of the Year award in 2016<ref name="Purchese 2022">{{cite news |last1=Purchese |first1=Robert |title=Missing: The story behind the Indian game tackling sex trafficking |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-01-21-missing-the-story-behind-the-indian-game-tackling-sex-trafficking |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[Eurogamer]] |date=24 January 2022}}</ref>
* 2018 Digital Empowerment Foundation social entrepreneurship for change award for the #Missing stencil project<ref name="Ramani 2018" />
* 2021 Stop Slavery Campaigns Award from the [[Thomson Reuters Foundation]]<ref name="TRF 2021">{{cite news |title=Hewlett Packard Enterprise, ARMEDANGELS and Missing Link Trust amongst winners of the Stop Slavery Award |url=https://www.trust.org/i/?id=6032654d-b1ee-42a5-a063-b3cc737281b6 |access-date=8 March 2022 |work=[[Thomson Reuters Foundation]] |date=25 February 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Organisations based in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Non-profit organisations based in India]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 2014]]
[[Category:Human trafficking in India]]
[[Category:2014 establishments in West Bengal]]

Missing Link Trust - Revision history

DigitalKush: adding initial post basic info