Survivor Leadership & Budget 2025-26: Bridging the Gaps in the Social Sector

By Vinod Kumar Pandey

For the past two years, I have been deeply engaged with the Leadership Next program, working with survivors of trafficking—child trafficking, sex trafficking, and labor trafficking. Through my work across states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and at the national level with ILFAT (Integrated Leaders Forum Against Trafficking), I have seen firsthand the challenges survivors face in accessing government programs, education, and economic opportunities.The Union Budget 2025-26, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, allocates significant funding for women and child welfare, skill development, rural empowerment, and gender budgeting. But does this budget truly address the realities faced by trafficking survivors and marginalized communities? Based on my experience, I see both opportunities and gaps in how government policies translate into real impact on the ground.

Survivor-Led Initiatives: The Power of Community Action

Limited Awareness & Barriers to Access: One of the biggest challenges I have observed is low awareness of government programs, not just among trafficking survivors but in the broader community. Many survivors and marginalized individuals struggle to access welfare schemes due to bureaucratic hurdles, lack of digital literacy, and biometric authentication failures (e.g., elderly laborers whose fingerprints have changed due to years of manual work).

Budget 2025-26 & the Reality on the Ground:

The government has allocated ₹26,889.69 crore for women and child welfare, including schemes like Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 to tackle malnutrition. While the funding increase is a positive step, it does not automatically ensure that benefits reach trafficking survivors and vulnerable communities. NGOs and survivor collectives must advocate for better implementation and last-mile delivery.

Education as a Path to Freedom:

In Bihar, a survivor collective “Azad” under Leadership Next has taken the initiative to ensure that children engaged in child labor are enrolled in schools. They actively work to enforce the Right to Education by assisting other survivors and at-risk children in gaining access to schooling.

Budget 2025-26 & the Digital Divide:

The budget introduces BharatNet Connectivity to improve internet access in schools and ₹500 crore for AI-driven education programs. However, infrastructure alone will not solve the dropout crisis—especially for trafficking survivors. Survivors need trauma-informed educational support, flexible learning programs, and community engagement, which the budget does not explicitly address.

Entrepreneurship & Skill Development:

A Model for Economic Independence: In Jharkhand, the Sarita Shakti Survivors Collective has found a dual solution: learning entrepreneurship skills while continuing their education. This model ensures that survivors are economically independent, reducing the risk of re-trafficking.

Budget 2025-26 & Skill Development:

The budget prioritizes skilling initiatives but lacks a focus on rehabilitation-specific, trauma-informed programs. While the expansion of micro-financing and self-employment support is promising, it must be tailored to the needs of survivors. NGOs should push for programs that go beyond generic skill-building and focus on empowering survivors as entrepreneurs and leaders.

Policy Advocacy: Survivors Engaging in Systemic Change:

At the national level, Integrated Leaders Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT) enables survivors to engage directly with policymakers. This grassroots advocacy has helped shape survivor-centric policies, ensuring that those affected by trafficking have a say in the decisions that impact them.

Budget 2025-26 & Policy Advocacy:

Gender-focused funding has increased by 19%, with a total allocation of ₹4.49 lakh crore. Programs like Mission Shakti (₹3,150 crore) for women’s safety and empowerment and Mission Vatsalya (₹1,500 crore) for child protection provide policy-level support. However, real impact depends on how well survivors can participate in policy discussions. NGOs and survivor collectives must continue to advocate for survivor-led policy reform.

Bridging the Gaps: What Needs to Change?

Bridging the Gaps: What Needs to Change?The Budget 2025-26 provides financial resources, but systemic challenges remain. Based on my experience working with survivors, here’s what needs to happen:

1. Strengthening Last-Mile Delivery

Survivors face barriers in accessing government schemes due to lack of awareness and digital challenges. NGOs must ensure that budget allocations translate into real benefits for survivors by providing:


✔️ Survivor-led awareness campaigns


✔️ Digital and financial literacy training


✔️ On-ground support for biometric and documentation challenges

2. Tailored Skill Development & Economic Empowerment

Generic skill-building programs do not work for survivors. Instead, the government must:


✔️ Invest in trauma-informed, rehabilitation-focused skill programs


✔️ Encourage survivor-led enterprises through micro-financing & mentorship


✔️ Ensure access to education while developing job skills

3. Strengthening Survivor-Led Advocacy

Survivor collectives have demonstrated their ability to drive policy change. Government funding must include:


✔️ Support for survivor leadership programs


✔️ Opportunities for direct survivor engagement in policy forums


✔️ Gender-responsive budgeting that includes survivor voices

Conclusion: A Step Forward, But Not Enough

A Call for Survivor-Centered BudgetingOver the past two years, I have engaged with more than 250 trafficking survivors, over 15 survivor collectives, and more than 15 NGOs working on leadership development for trafficking survivors. Through this experience, I have observed recurring challenges and opportunities in ensuring survivors can rebuild their lives, access government schemes, and take leadership roles in their communities.A key learning from this engagement is the need to view leadership development from three interlinked perspectives: individual, family, and collective. While survivors show immense resilience and potential, there is a critical gap in resources and structured support to empower them at all three levels.

The budget has introduced promising allocations in several areas, but a structured approach to survivor leadership development is missing. Based on my experience, I propose that future budgets include:

• A dedicated fund for trafficking survivors' leadership development, supporting survivor collectives like those in Bihar and Jharkhand.

•Training programs that integrate education with entrepreneurship, ensuring survivors are economically and socially empowered.

•Survivor-led monitoring mechanisms to ensure government schemes reach the most marginalized.

By incorporating these measures, we can move beyond welfare-based interventions and invest in survivor-led solutions, ensuring that trafficking survivors do not just recover but emerge as leaders driving systemic change.The question now is: Will future budgets recognize the leadership potential of trafficking survivors and allocate resources accordingly? It is time for policymakers, NGOs, and civil society to push for survivor-centered budgeting that builds long-term resilience and empowerment.