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Maitri overburdened helping sex victims

It is no secret that domestic abuse is prevalent in the Silicon Valley but in recent years sexual slavery has also raised its head, a prominent community leader said, as she scolded the Indian American community for not speaking against it strongly

"In our own backyard we have the case of Lakireddy Bali Reddy," Sonya Pellia, president of Maitri said, referring to the landlord and restaurateur in Berkeley who recently, in a plea bargain, admitted to importing young girls for sex and cheap labor.

One of the two sisters who shared one of the apartments Reddy owned in the university city died in an accidental carbon dioxide leak in November 1999.

The Maitri president said it was appalling to see some people still suggesting that Reddy was not at fault. Some say the girls "must have come voluntarily," she continued; others suggested that the sex was consensual. Some cited his "generosity," she said.

Pellia was one of the panellists that discussed issues related to empowering women. Moderated by novelist Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, co-founder of Maitri, the discussion was held before over 500 people who had stayed behind following the premiere of the documentary, Woman by Woman, in Palo Alto.

The documentary celebrates the empowerment of women in Bihar.

When Maitri was started 1O years ago, its annual budget was $1,500, she said but today the community contributes over $300,000.

Maitri has been "over-burdened" helping out Reddy's sex victims, she said. Hers is one of the several organizations that are helping over half a dozen young women who were forced into domestic and sexual slavery by Reddy who is in his 60s. He also faces a civil suit. Several Indian American attorneys and activists are helping fight the suit filed on behalf of the victims.

"A lot of resources and energy in the past year has gone into helping these girls," she said.

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EXTERNAL LINK
Maitri: Helping Women Help Themselves

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