May 29, 2014
On the 20th anniversary of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak that killed 20,000 and injured more than 150,000 in Bhopal, India, Rasida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla led a class action suit demanding cleanup and compensation for affected individuals. In the ten years since winning the Goldman Prize for their work, Bee and Shukla have continued their campaign to care for and secure the rights of the victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
Shortly after winning the Prize, Bee and Shukla used their award money to create the Chingari Trust, “a non-political, non-profit organization committed to protecting the survivors of the Union Carbide Gas Disaster and the local communities that are affected by the continuous industrial hazards present as a result of the abandoned Union Carbide factory (now wholly owned by Dow Chemical Corporation).
More specifically, the Chingari Trust supports marginalized sections of society, including women and children (with special reference to victims of corporate crime) without discrimination on the basis of caste, creed or religion.”
At their rehabilitation center, the Chingari Trust provides medical and psychological care that includes a supplementary nutrition/food program, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, special education and psychological support and counselling.
For more information on the work of the Chingari Trust, please visit their website by clicking HERE.
