I had arranged yesterday in the internet cafe to meet Fleur- a fascinating little lady from New Zealand who is on full throttle all the time. We met Fleur at registration and she mentioned that while she was here she had to make her way to the Sonagachi district to visit the "kiwis" (native New Zealanders) who work there in a rehabilitation program for women rescued out of the sex industry. The project is call Freeset and I know of them through Kathryn York who just visited them with Chris a couple of months ago. I jumped at the chance to tag along.
After breakfast we grabbed a taxi and rode 20 minutes until the scenery began to change- People looked sicker, the women more haggard, the streets dirtier. We exited the cab and walked a few blocks, took a left into a narrow alley that then narrowed further, and then further still. I was on edge and maybe for good reason- the little I knew of that place was bad. Sonagachi is the worst red light district in this city. It is famous. It is old and set in its ways. And estimated 10,000 women work this district-some out of brothels, some out of their homes. They have a union. Most of their husbands are cruel and coupled with the high substance abuse common to this neighborhood- they force their wives and daughters into exploitation, their addictions require it. Aids is absolutely rampant here and India is expected to surpass Africa for outbreaks either this year or the next
10,000 women and young girls, some of them no more than 7 years old, kidnapped and drugged and taken from their rural villages or across borders of their native countries. 20,000 men who grew up in this culture, or really this subculture of Indian culture- without fathers, without models, without any idea of wrongdoing in their cruelty. 30,000 exchanges within every 24 hour period and then add in all the children that this lifestyle produces.
I have never seen women reduced to rags. My eyes are full of tears as I write this.
We ducked into a cool dark building through a small gate and then joined the gathering, the bible study- the cieling to our right opened up to a courtyard in the midst of this three strory building and on the floor of this courtyard the women sat. Like jewels in the bottom of an old worn jewelry box, wearing saris of every color, gold rings in their ears and noses, tidy hair and white teeth. Some of them had been intentionally disfigured, scars ripped through their faces. A couple of them smiled when we acknowledged the beautiful children that climbed on their shoulders, most of them stared at the floor- they had the look of Job, maybe thats how I would describe it- having lost everything with no promise of return and sitting in ashes. Absolutely spent, poured out, wasted. But exuding bravery, and the steely determination of prisoners of war.
The message was given in Bengali by Allister, perhaps 65 years old, a doctor from London who moved to Kolkata 3 years ago with his wife to work in this district and more specifically to work with Freeset, helping to aid women suffering from Aids. The message dismissed and the women ran up the flights of stairs and to their stations and the mood was immediately lightened as their hands found purpose in their work. At freeset, the women are trained to sew. They make t-shirts and jute bags- and their work is flawless. They are taught to read and write and navigated through the basics of math so that they can fend for themselves, at least a little in the unkind world they live in.
The Hilton family founded freeset. They moved to Kolkata 10 years ago and into this neighborhood they live in this building- though they have two teenage kids of their own and older children at home in New Zealand. They have committed their days to the women who walk these streets at night. They are the Mother Teresa's of Sonagachi. Over the past five years their work has blossomed here and the 20 women they started working with has swelled to 150 or more. New girls arrive every day, in tears and desperate for redemption.
We toured the facility with Dan, also from NZ who commited 6 months to Freeset after he visited the workshop a year ago( Kat, Dan says "hi"). Dan encouraged us to talk to the women who were transformed at their posts- they laughed at what we wore, the said good morning to us in Hindi- they chatted easily with eachother.We met Steve, again from NZ. A big, handsome, jolly guy who makes people laugh in the way only a New Zealander can. Steve moved his family here a couple of years ago, wife, baby girls and young sons. Their little community was hard at work preparing a permanent home for Steve and his family- making a home out of a slumping, dusty, old, dangerous building. Such a perfect picture of the rebirth that takes place here every day.
We walked down a horribly filthy alley and past two brothels toward the river. I was afraid- how does anyone get used to this place? Men were bathing in the doorways, some sat crumpled in a drug induced coma. Children played in the dirt half clothed and dogs fought eachother for scraps from smoking little kitchens. A right and then another right, left through an unmarked door, up six flights of stairs through three apartments and into the Love Kolkata Arts offices. Lorenna is a soft-spoken motherly figure, warm and gentle and full of comfort. She is from NZ and has lived here for 11 years with her husband, a dutchmen from NZ. They work tirelessly in a hot, cramped little office. Their work is similar to Freeset only they make cards and journals and manufacture water purification systems hoping to befriend little girls before they enter the industry. We talked with them and hugged them goodbye.
Look them up and see what they do- find a way to participate if you can in "Sari Bari", "Freeset" and "Love Kolkata Arts".
Goodnight all.
Ev
4 comments:
thank you for sharing, Ev. sending prayers of love and strength to you...
Sending love Evan. You're awesome.
K.
Thanks for sharing this. I spent last Tuesday evening in Sonagachi with an amazing friend, Tyler, who is doing work with Freeset, and also holds "Kids Club" evey week for the children living in Sonagachi. Unbeleivable...
Much prayer is needed for the women and children living in Sonagachi!
my dear..u r really alive..b'coz u r feeling the pain of humanity... just go deeper..go beyond..
thanx for your words
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