Calcutta Nights

Most of the overt prostitution in Calcutta occur in the evening in the red light districts where women actually line up along the street for passers by, like some sort of commodity that can be picked over, chosen, used, and abused.  It might be tempting to think that the women want to be there since they`re standing out there without a gun to their head.  But the gun in this situation is behind the scenes in the physical violence, coercion, and desperation that holds these women hostage to a brothel owner/madam.  I don`t think anyone can understand how depressing and desperate these situations are except the women and children themselves.  You can see in their faces when you look in their eyes and it can shake you to the core.  
Poverty and economic desperation are clearly contributing factors to the trafficking of women and children for commercial sex and this is all too apparent in the small glimpse I saw of the lives of the women and children I met.  The good news is that there are some remarkable, remarkable people that are helping these women and children -  including the survivors themselves.  My flight beckons so that story will have to wait for now...