.jpg)
Ahmednagar based
former ABVP activities Dr.Girish Kulkarni rehabilitates over 900 sex workers
ensuring respectable jobs for their 300 children During the last four decades
the Governments, both state and central, spent billins of rupees on
rehabilitation of commercial sex workers. What is the result-mushrooming of red
light areas and forced entry of minor girls into the trade! The government
claims about 6.8 lakh registered sex workers in the country, but the NACO estimates
this number to be more than 12 lakh. Amidst this number game Dr.Girish Kulkarni
of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra has successfully rehabilitated over 900 commercial
sex workers and effectively curbed the entry of second generation into the
trade. Twenty years back there were 900 sex workers operating from four streets
of Ahemednager, but today they remain just 150 and that too only in one street.
Not surprisingly, 300 children of these women are today doing respectable jobs
in state police and different government departments. Wedding of about 200
rescued girls has also been performed.
Normally, it is
believed that prostitution is a one way traffic in which there is no U-turn. Of
the many reasons, which block the U-turn, the most serious ones are the tight
hold of brothel-keepers, the chain of beneficiaries who thrive on their labour
and the inability to cope with the stigma attached to them by wider society.
In such circumstances
even thinking about rehabilitation of these women is a herculean as well as
life-threatening task. The topmost challenge is: what is the acceptable
alternative, and how to provide production from the people prospering from the
earnings of such women? Anybody who dares to do it has to face the
consequences. But Dr.Girish Kulkarni took up this challenge 25 years ago and so
far successfully rehabilitated over 900 such women through his Snehalaya. For
it, he had to fight not only against the pimps, brothel-keepers but also
against the highly influential businessmen, policemen and bureaucrats in the
district.
Formed in 1989 to
work for the Victims of Trafficking (VCSE-T) in red light areas of
Chitra,Bhagat and Mamta lanes in Ahmednagar,Snehalaya is today an outstanding
example of how youth can make a difference in the lives of people. It created a
history in 2010 when it secured the conviction of 20 highly influential persons
of Ahmednagar, who sexually exploited a
minor girl of 14 years. All 20 0f them were sentenced to Double Life
Imprisonment. Another similar case of a minor is pending in the court.
The output of
Snehalaya’s persistent efforts is clearly visible. The sexually transmitted
diseases (except HIV/AIDS) have almost disappeared and use of condoms in red
light areas is 96 per cent, highest in the country, similarly, during the last
20 years no child prostitute joined the trade. Apart from many other reasons,
it can be attributed to relentless filing of cases against brothel keepers,
pimps and procurers, and their successful convictions in the courts.
Thanks to Snehalaya
the children of prostitutes are in a process of life –changing education
creating a number of role models from the community. Some of the children got
admissions in top schools of the city and proved their mettle in the results.
About 300 of them have got quality jobs. Snehalaya also provides medical
facilities and ensures rehabilitation for HIV+ women and children. It runs
Balbhavans in 7 major slums of Ahmednagar and provides after-school coaching to
nearly 2000 students. Apart from 150
abandoned infants, many unwed mothers, raped victims, widows have also been
rehabilitated. Snehalaya’s upcoming Himmatgram project is going to prove a ray
of hope for HIV victims and sex workers, who are being rehabilitated by
providing vocational skills and employment. Snehalays dedicated team of
volunteers has devoted their lives for the betterment of these women. Perhaps
this is the reason that noted film personality, Aamir Khan, on May 6,2012 ,
during his popular TV show Satyamev Jayate, appealed for help to Snehalaya in
this fight.
Snehalaya has also
motivated these women to start their own Self-Help Groups (SHG) in all red
–light areas of the district. The most poignant testimony of Snehalays’s
empowerment efforts has come in the form of some outstanding milestones. Lata
Pawar wrote the first autobiography of a prostitute in Marathi, while Sangeeta
Shelar, a former prostitute, represented Snehalaya in the world AIDS Conference
held in Mexico in 2008, Similarly, Kantabai Kale became one of Snehalaya’s
trustees in the initial days itself and Meena Shinde is working as an honorary
director.
A professor and wel
known crusader in the district, Dr.Kulkarni has been an active worker of Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) from 1983 to 1991. His concern for the
plight of sexually exploited women was not sudden. As a young boy of 14 while
attending tution classes in a by lane known for prostitution, he heard some of
the women yell out in pain, as their customers beat them up or the brothel-keepers inhumanly tortured them.”We
always try to convince the prostitutes to leave this trade and start a new
life. Though, it is a very tough decision to execute for so many reasons, we
have inspired many of them to leave the profession,””he says.
Talking about the
challenges he encountered, Dr.Girish says, “Preparing a sex worker to live a
respectable life is not an easy task. We have to start from de-addiction and
then the habit of work is developed and vocational training is imparted. Then
social acceptance also remains a big question. Sometimes circumstances
disappointed and hurt me but most of the times they taught me a lot and
influenced my life immensely”.
Of late, some of his
students have also started working in various red light areas after completion
of their education. What satisfies Dr.Girish more is the fact that the society
is slowly changing its orthodox attitude towards the women and children from
red-light areas. The girls rescued from the flesh trade got good families and
grooms for marriages.
When governments have
failed in rehabilitation of the sex workers even after spending millions of
rupees every year, these efforts of Dr.Girish Kulkarni show the way how to
efficiently eradicate the social evil and change the mindset of people.
Snehalaya runs
“Snehadhar”, a 24*7 help line for all types of women in distress. The helpline
no. is 09011363600)
Via:Organiser,
September 22,2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment