Rescue sex workers & at-risk children in India

We are excited to announce that with your support we are planning a new programme to help rehabilitate even more sex workers to leave the profession. We will be offering an expanded vocational training and education programme and extending the reach of the sex workers able to access it. Instrumental to the succcess of this will be our outreach and peer educators who, like Sangeeta, completely understand the challenges as they themselves come from and still live in the communities we exist to serve.

When Sangita’s husband died when she was 39, she found herself alone and with no other support available was drawn into prostitution. It gave her the money she needed to live but at the expense of her own self-respect, safety and health. Sangita had become part of a community pushed into the sex trade due to financial crisis, a high-risk group oppressed equally by society, law makers and the government which has to fight for basic rights. Even those brave enough to try to leave prostitution and start a new life are so shunned by society that often they find it easier to return to sex work.

As a female sex worker in our district, Sangita soon heard about the work of Snehalaya to reduce STIs and control the spread of HIV/AIDS amongst sex workers, their clients and partners and sought our help. In 2007, seeing her potential, our Assistant Director convinced her to work with us as a Peer Educator. She immediately started encouraging sex workers to attend regular medical check-ups and HIV and STI tests and conducting activities to raise health awareness and social entitlements. Within a year, she was appointed as a field officer. At first, she found managing the reporting, planning, outreach activity, talking in public and to government officials, whom she had previously been in conflict with, a challenge but she confidently overcame them, finally leaving prostitution to work full time with our project where she has convinced many other FSWs to become peer educators.

She says: “I feel lucky to have been able to break away from the profession and that the women in the sex worker community, my ex-colleagues, have accepted me and made my work easy. I also feel proud of being the first women from this community to be selected as a Maharashtra State field officer and attend the 17th International HIV/ AIDS conference in Mexico as a representative of India, the first lady from the Indian female sex workers community to do so. It was the experience of a lifetime, giving me a sense of achievement… of being someone with a purpose in life.

“I never wanted to be in the profession that circumstances and financial problems pushed me into. Snehalaya offered me a way out by helping others in my community to lead a better life. After 10 years of creating awareness about health and hygiene i'm happy to report all sex workers now insist on using condoms, attend regular health check-ups, second generation prostitution has stopped and many women have left prostitution and make their livelihoods in tailoring, fashion design and embroidery. I personally conduct tailoring classes and run an institute for women who want to start anew and refer their children to shelter homes and schools diverting them away from the hardships of the brothels and slums.”

Sangita has received many awards in recognition of her work, is a member of various district committees and has played a key role in decision making at Snehalaya as a member of our board of trustees since 2013. Like you she believes in supporting women and girls to aspire for more in life and is there to offer her own experience and the guidance required. Thank you - you are helping the Sangeeta's of the future believe in themselves enough to take the leap, leave prostitution and aim higher. 

Links:

• Visit our website
• Watch how your support is empowering our girls & women