Representatives from Sanjog India, Debarati Choudhury and Aiswarya Ananthapadmanabhan, facilitated a session on “Victim Compensation and the Path to Reparative Justice” at the Parvaaz Legal Fellowship Annual Convening in Kolkata.
Drawing from their work under Raahat, Sanjog India’s initiative on victim compensation, the session focused on how financial redress can be used as a practical and powerful tool to support survivors of trafficking and sexual violence. Rooted in years of field experience, the discussion aimed to make compensation more accessible, strategic, and central to legal practice.
Key takeaways from the session included:
- Reframing compensation as a right: Fellows reflected on the need to move away from viewing compensation as charity, and instead recognise it as a legal entitlement linked to dignity and state responsibility.
- Making compensation meaningful: The session emphasised the lawyer’s role in actively computing fair compensation based on actual harm, rather than accepting standard minimum amounts that often fall short.
- Bridging law and lived realities: Participants discussed how compensation can provide immediate support to survivors, especially in contrast to long-drawn criminal proceedings.
- Preventing re-exploitation: Financial stability was highlighted as a key factor in reducing vulnerability and enabling survivors to move toward safer, more independent futures.
For Sanjog India, this engagement was also about strengthening the broader ecosystem. By sharing learnings from Raahat with a network of young women and trans lawyers, the session contributed to building a more consistent, rights-based approach to victim compensation across different regions.
Overall, the session reinforced that when used effectively, compensation is not just a legal remedy—it is a pathway to more timely, dignified, and reparative justice.
