HAInews 2023/01 HCSA event with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attended an event with the participation of the Heidelberg Centre South Asia (HCSA) as part of her inaugural visit to India in December 2022.

The German Embassy in India, with the help of the HCSA, organised a meeting on 5 December between the politician and the founder of the non-governmental organisation "Kat Katha", which campaigns for the needs of forced prostitutes, as well as with women and children supported by the organisation.

Foreign Minister Baerbock travelled to New Delhi in December for a two-day inaugural visit. Prior to the trip, the Foreign Office had announced that the Minister, who advocates the concept of a feminist foreign policy, would also hold talks with representatives of NGOs working for women's rights during her visit, as the situation of minorities and women in India is regularly criticised despite all the social progress made in recent decades. These talks included a meeting with “Kata” founder Gitanjali Babbar and women and children supported by her organisation. The NGO provides education, health awareness, counselling and support to women forced into sex work at a young age and their children.

During the one-and-a-half-hour meeting, Annalena Baerbock spoke to the women and children about the stigmatisation they experience because of their past and the challenges they therefore have to overcome. The meeting took place in Old Delhi at the historic childhood home of HCSA Director Suboor Bakht. The HCSA had been involved in the organisation and had taken care of the venue and hospitality.