Human Trafficking - Becky reports from India on how we fight it!

Arriving in Kathmandu was like a breath of fresh air, literally. The pollution here is bad, but not nearly as bad as in Kolkata this time of year. And the production center, where I'll be living the next two weeks, is on the outskirts of the city in a lovely purple house. There's a gorgeous terrace on the top floor, which on a clear day provides a scenic view of Kathmandu Valley. The other floors provide residential space to 15 women, and a large workshop unit for Hatti Production. Every day, these 15 women produce gorgeous leather handbags that are sold by Made by Survivors in the US and Hatti Trading in the UK.

Other than spending my time at the production center, I've been able to meet with the founder of Esther Benjamin's Trust. This NGO rescues children from Indian circuses, most of whom were trafficked from Nepal at a young age. In many ways, the circuses are no better from the red light areas. Children suffer from extreme physical abuse, most of them are sexually abused by the circus managers, and all of them are underfed, overworked, and poorly paid (if at all). The founder, Philip, has done miracles in changing the mindsets of Indian circus owners. He says sexual abuse of the children has decreased because now the managers are afraid of repercussions should there be a raid. Philip's center in Nepal provides social services to the children, excellent education, and vocational training. They operate Himalayan Mosaics, a tile mosaic company that takes orders on consignment from around the world, and of course TEN has ordered quite a few for our store and Kolkata production center. They also train girls in stitching, who are then hired to work fulltime at Hatti Production.

Another NGO in Kathmandu that we support is Apple of God's Eye. Several years ago, a few Brazilian couples moved here and welcomed into their homes abandoned children and women coming out of prostitution (many of whom were trafficked into sexual exploitation at a young age). They have a large sign on their door claiming, "we are not a project or a shelter. We are a family and this is our home." It's truly revolutionary - the mothers are literally mothers for all of the children. Each child is treated as an individual, given good clothes, good food, and a great education. And they also operate a small income generation project with the teenagers and older women, making rugs (child labor free, of course) and beaded jewelry. The reason they've chosen rug making is that many of the children they take in come from the infamous carpet looms in Nepal. Their parents "work" there, either as debt-bonded laborers or poorly paid laborers, and often the children were forced to "work" as well. Apple of God's Eye has opened its doors to these children, sent them to school, and the older ones wanted to earn money by making rugs since they have the skill. But now they can use their knowledge in a safe environment where they are paid for their work, treated with respect, and set their own hours.

When I go into the city, I'm amazed at how many imported products are available here: Chinese silk, Japanese electronics, and even French wine. But when I asked about purchasing some Chinese hardware in bulk, I got the same answer I always get in India. "Yes, madam, no problem. Day after tomorrow."

Today is the happiest day of my life because... We have finally found and signed the deed for our new Destiny production center. The three-story house, the Thomas Clayton Center, will serve as our new office, production unit, and potentially a crisis shelter for women in need. This new center was made possible from the generous donations of my grandmother and her son, Kevin, in memory of my late grandfather, Thomas Clayton. While their contribution has allowed us to secure the property, we still need help to meet our start-up costs. If you are able, donations are accepted online or you can contact Alicia for more information.  

We plan to hire women from various shelter homes and NGO centers in Kolkata, thus providing these women exposure to mainstream society. Being in a professional working environment will be a healthy step for the womens' development, since many of them have never had a real job. Each woman will be paid a decent salary so that she can save for the future, and hopefully move out of the shelter home when she is ready. This will allow more girls to be accepted in the shelter and receive vocational training.

One of our partners has offered to provide lunch at the center, almost like a "meals on wheels" program, and to cater lunches to nearby businesses. This will give jobs to even more shelter residents who have cooking and catering skills.

While it is exciting to have this new center, it is also daunting because our goal is to make it a profitable and sustainable business. We are in the process of determining our work capacity and order schedule, and each time I see our estimated workforce increase, I know that we are giving jobs to more women in dire need. And that makes all the worrying worthwhile...

June 19, 2008 

Several months ago, before I left for the US, the group of women from Topsia's community center formed a Self Help Group. This band of ten young women, called Ekta "unity," produces our Om Line of products, including embroidered handbags and tank tops. The treasurer of this group, Nasreen, invited me to her cousin's home yesterday and I was thrilled to accept the offer. Since she lives in a predominantly Muslim area, I made sure to wear my most modest salwarkamee suit.

Walking through the narrow lanes of the area was an influx of sensory stimulation - pungent smells of food and human waste, cries and laughter, and countless malnourished eyes staring at me - it was a good thing Nasreen was guiding me. Her cousin's home was a haven from these lanes; one small room with a large bed, dresser and bookstand. This one room was shared by her three cousins, aunt, uncle, and her uncle's mother. But today the entire neighborhood had gathered to meet me. Children of all ages came in to ask my name, "Vaat ees your nam?" Two of the girls danced and sang for me, but I had to return the favor with the one Hindi song I know. Chocolate cake and chips were served, and an exchange of gifts that is customary for visiting a person's house for the first time. As the loudspeaker sounded the call to prayer, we all bowed our heads, the Muslim women covered their heads, and we prayed to God for strength and forgiveness. They found it very interesting that I also prayed with them, but I explained that, to me, God is the same, whether by the name Allah or Yahweh.

Nasreen's cousin is very sweet, and I encouraged her to follow in Nasreen's footsteps as she's now a wage-earning woman! This has brought an enormous amount of respect and responsibility from her community, since most women never work outside the house. She is really a confident young woman that demands her rights to education and employment - a true community leader and inspiration.

Sitting on their bed made me think of the days I used to fight with my sister and brother, and we would always stomp off to our separate rooms and slam the door. But what if we couldn't slam the door? What if we all shared one room, and when we got mad everyone knew about it, and despite our anger we still had to sleep in the same bed at night? It's absolutely mind-blowing to see how different the living conditions are here, and also how refreshingly simple. Why do we need 5 separate bedrooms? Just so we can slam doors? 

June 14, 2008 

Destiny, the joint project of Sanlaap and TEN to reintegrate survivors, has undergone some serious changes since I've been back. Three of the young women in this program were originally from Bangladesh, and recently their restoration orders have been issued. So, they will be going back to their homes within the month. While we are all personally sad about this, we know it is for the best that they go home and be restored to their communities. Actually, as soon as we have the time and money, my dream is to operate a similar economic livelihood option in Bangladesh for the restored women.

But on the Kolkata side, the other two women in Destiny have recently started their schooling again. They want to live closer to their school, and Sanlaap found a nice apartment for the whole group. It is very conveniently located to the school and will allow them to keep working from the new home.

Before the big move, all five women are working very hard to finish current orders. Just today, I walked in to happily find the DHL truck packing up some finished products to send to the US.

I won't lie, it's been a very emotional week for all of us. The woman who I trained in jewelry making is from Bangladesh, and she knows that she'll soon be leaving for home. A I packed up the beads, she started crying and asked if I'd come visit her. She has become a really qualified jewelry maker and I'd hate to see her skills go unused when she's back home. But, Sanlaap's director informed me that their counterpart organization in Bangladesh will help find the girls work if they are interested. I'm sure they are very nervous and excited to be going home, but we're all confident that their past few months in Destiny has contributed to their social and vocational development.

Because of these new developments, we are seeking a new space to run our production center. The plan is to employ women, including those currently in the program, from various shelters and community centers in one central place. This would expose the women to a professional work environment and thus help their reintegration process. Also, it would free up space in the training centers of those shelters/centers so that more women can receive vocational trainings.

So, as I start the house hunting again, wish me luck!

June 11, 2008

After 6 weeks in the US, I finally flew back to my true home, Kolkata. Somehow the flight coming back was much longer than I have ever remembered it. Perhaps that was because my mind was racing in a thousand directions, trying to decide what were my "top priority" tasks to accomplish in the first few days. Since I've been gone, it's been hard to know how all the programs are going, how the children are doing in school, how our product orders are coming, and if any new women have joined the shelters. Luckily, because of jetlag I was able to accomplish more than I should have in 3 days.

My first trip was to All Bengal Women's Union, where the young women in their tailoring unit had finished their first order of baby dresses. I am personally proud of these teenagers because they had been a bit unsure of their ability to complete the order in time, but with some encouragement and support they finished all 90 dresses beautifully! (Check them out at our retail store or online).

Next up on the list was visiting Shelano, a group started by a Kiwi couple that employs women from the outlying slum areas to stitch handbags. They've created a sari tote, which is made from saris blockprinted at Sanlaap's shelter home, then stitched in their center. It's a wonderfully fashionable and socially conscious tote that everyone just loves, including the women who make them!

The next morning the children and teenagers in our school sponsorship program went on a fabulous outing to India's largest mall to watch a film. They absolutely loved it, sitting in a big stadium, being served popcorn and coke, and singing along to the Hindi cartoon. Thank you to all the sponsors for your continued support!

Finally, I made it out to Sanlaap's shelter home to go over our current product orders. Unfortunately, most of their production center is under renovation and there is no roof. This would normally be just a nuissance, but because of the rainy season it's put quite a damper on all production. The women, however were very excited to see me and eager for the work. They have assured me that they will try their hardest to get everything done before the real rains start.

In between these long-awaited visits, I signed up for Hindi classes at the RamaKrishna Mission, found a new apartment, and re-opened my Indian bank account. Who says jetlag is a pain?

Just as our school sponsorship students were preparing for their final exams, we were able to place two volunteers as English teachers in the Apne Aap centers. Both are native English speakers (one Brit and one Aussie) who came to Kolkata through Global Volunteer Network. This has been an incredible hel pto the students preparing for their exams, as well as for the younger children who were recently enrolled in school for the first time. The volunteers are teaching English not only to the school-going children, but also teaching business skills to the groups that make TEN Products.

Another group of volunteers came from National Community Church, in Washington DC. They were volunteering at Calcutta Mercies, which runs several churches, schools and health care centers throughout West Bengal. The team was given a very important mission - measuring the entire hospital to create a fire escape plan. Unfortunately, most buildings in Kolkata don't have such a thing, and most people rely on water buckets in case of a fire. It was exciting to meet them because I used to attend NCC when I lived in DC, and always reassuring to see other Americans willing to volunteer in this city of joy.

If you're interested in volunteering with any of these groups, or directly with TEN in India, please contact me or visit their websites for more information.

March 19, 2008

This evening the American Center and Thoughtshop Foundation in Kolkata hosted a That Takes Ovaries program. A group of young women from Apne Aap's Topsia center performed a skit about women who were trafficked into Mumbai's red light district. The purpose of the event was not to raise awareness about trafficking specifically, but rather to encourage women from the audience to speak about the brave things they may have done in their lives. Some women spoke about discimination they faced in their education, others talked about their family's pressuring them to be married at a young age, and one woman shared her experience of her husband's wish to terminate her pregnancy because the fetus was female.

Throughout the event, I was looking at the Topsia women to see their reaction. At first I was apprehensive to them being exposed to such stories, but it actually seemed to encourage and motivate them. Afterwards they said they were very happy to have heard the stories because it made them realize how women from all spheres of life, from all economic classes, face gender discrimination. It's not just the poor girls in the slums who are at risk for domestic violence, female infanticide, or trafficking (although these occur more in village and slum areas). This group of teenagers came away from the event feeling proud of their performance and inspired by the other speakers, and I know they will share their experience with others in their community.

March 14, 2008

Today was the children in TEN's school sponsorship program got their report cards. I am pleased to announce that they all passed their class, and several of them placed first in their age group! It was so exciting to see them lined up, patiently waiting for the teacher to call their name, and then getting their final grades. There were some other parents present, who were applauding for their children, and I was priveleged to applaud and photograph our sponsored children's moments.

It's amazing to think that just one year ago, these children had never been to school before, had never been outside the red light district really. Their development in just one year is remarkable; they have friends from other communities, they take care of their belongings, they can focus on a given task for more than 15 minutes, and you can literally see their self-confidence rising each day. I only wish that their real mothers and their school sponsors could have been there to watch them receive their final report cards! If you are interested in sponsoring a child from the red light district or from a high risk community, we are enrolling another group of children this year into private school and WE NEED SPONSORS! Email Alicia if you're interested and want more information.

February 25, 2008

Our first attempt at the school sponsorship call didn't go so well. We tried it from the Kidderpore center, where internet is quite unpredictable. Unfortunately, after only 2 minutes the internet stopped working, so all the sponsors could do was talk to the children over the phone. But Sudebi, the Program Manager for Apne Aap, was determined to make it work. So we rescheduled for Monday morning at Destiny, which has a reliable source of internet. The children were so excited to see the American sponsors, and we couldn't help but laugh as they shouted into the computer. When we suggested they say, "Good morning," one very intelligent girl responded, "No, it's morning there - I should say good morning." If you are a sponsor and would like to participate in the next call, please contact Alicia MacGregor to coordinate the time.   

I visited their school that day, and met with the headmasters. They said that over the last year, the children have improved not only in their studies and discipline, but also in their behaviour towards others. I was so pleased to hear this, that after school, I took the children to the shoe store to buy them a new pair of school shoes. They look so much cleaner and serious with their new black shoes and blue socks! It's encouraging to think that they don't have to face discrimination from their classmates, because their classmates don't know that they live in a red light district, or that their mothers are still in prostitution. Instead, they go to a well-respected school and have friends from other parts of the city.

February 22, 2008

Today I spent four hours in the shelter home working with the girls to catalog their block prints. This required taking each block, printing it three times on white fabric, cutting each one out, labeling it Block Number x, and making 3 files. One file will be kept at the shelter home, one at Destiny, and one with The Emancipation Network in the US. This is hopefully going to speed the efficiency of placing orders for blockprinted fabrics. The survivors at the shelter home initially thought I was crazy, asking them to block print the same thing three times, but eventually they understood the concept.

Afterwards, I rushed back to the city because my friend had invited me for her cousin's wedding. I had left my bag at Destiny, and when they found out I was going to a wedding they insisted on dressing me up in full Indian regalia. This type of dress is Lacha, and despite my hatred of pink, it would be a lie to say I didn't feel like a princess. The Bengali wedding was less chaotic than others, because there is no dancing. At the beginning, the bride and groom sit in opposite chambers and the family members bless each of them. The actual wedding ceremony consists of several blessings, the bride being carried in a chair around her husband, an exchange of garlands, and lots of chanting. Of course, the food afterwards was delicious, although I had to be careful not to overfill my exposed belly!

February 12, 2008

Today Chan and I went on an adventure to Burra Bazaar. This is the main outdoor market in Kolkata, where you can buy everything imaginable. I was there to get some fabric and jewelry making supplies. Cramming into 2-foot stalls, haggling with the shop owners, and having an influx of sensory images has never been so thrilling. We were on a wild goose chase for 2 hours trying to find headpins for the earrings, but eventually found them. It's certainly not an efficient way to procure materials, but the best way I've found so far. The two hour bus ride home made me think of how much time is literally wasted in travel time here.

After gathering the materials, I was able to start teaching the earring making to the young women in Destiny. We used the glass beads made by the women of MSEMVS, as well as small "filler beads" that I got at the market. They were very keen to learning and one of them has an excellent design sense so she made several samples. Eventually, we will move them into other styles of jewelry, like necklaces and watches, but the earrings were a great start. Look for them for sale online in the upcoming weeks!