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

August 08, 2008

Yesterday my friend Benjamin and I went to Varanasi, a well-known city in Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi is famous for the Ganges River, revered as holy by Hindus, and there are over 50 temples along the river edge. Two of them are “burning ghats” where specially trained Hindus prepare dead bodies for proper burning, and then spread the deceased’s ashes into the Ganges.

After the overnight train ride from Kolkata, we found our way through the maze of small dirt streets to our guest house on the Ganges. The Sita Guest House, a very nice place with friendly staff and wonderful view, was a relief from the sweltering heat. The receptionist was kind enough to show us around the area, and led us on a walking tour of the ghats (temples). After that, he took us to a silk loom, since Varanasi is also famous for its silk saris/scarves. This is where my carefree tour turned into a very bitter experience.

As the shop manager showed us around his “factory,” which included several buildings, we saw a few weaving looms and then the finishing rooms. Most of the men working on the looms were in their twenties and thirties, but one young boy could not have been older than fourteen. And then we saw the finishing room, where extremely young boys (roughly eight or nine) were hand stitching the beads and sequins onto the edges of the saris. I was so upset, and just kept saying to Benjamin, “They’re so young! This is blatant child labor!” Ben, a little more tactful than me, waited until we were sitting in the manager’s showroom to ask, “So where do you find your workers?” Mostly they come from the Muslim community, as the manager explained. Then Ben followed up, “Do you have a minimum age requirement?” Despite the Indian labor law that sets the minimum age of employment at fourteen, this manager told us that his company employs children as young as twelve. I was gritting my teeth, but didn’t want to alert him to my feelings. Instead we thanked him for showing us around, I took his business card so I had his location and phone number, and took a photograph of one of the boys working on the loom.

Afterwards, I called our local NGO partner, MSEMVS, to tell the Director about my experience. He said that he’d take the information, but unfortunately the loom owners and managers are getting very clever. Apparently, since there have been raids in recent years, they now keep fake school certificates and report cards on hand. That way, when the police and NGOs come to rescue any underaged children, the owners explain that the children are enrolled in school but just there for the day because there’s a school holiday. All nonsense of course, as the physical abuse marks and signs of malnutrition will attest. But they also pay the local men to pose as the children’s fathers, thwarting any attempts at rescue. Luckily, there are some very dedicated NGOs like MSEMVS and Rugmark Foundation that persist despite these obstacles.

Other than that awful site, Varanasi is a beautiful city and I highly recommend it to any traveler in India. There are gorgeous temples, delicious food joints, beautiful saris (and slave made saris), and comfortable guest houses.

August 2, 2008

After two weeks of hard work, we decided it was time to celebrate the opening of Destiny Productions with the people who really make the center run - the working women! So we closed early and everyone came to my house for a party. I included the entire Income Generation group from Topsia's center as well, since we hope more of them will come to Destiny Productions in the future.

I had prepared a typical American feast of chocolate cake, icecream, chips, cheese and crackers, and pop. Aniuska wanted to share a dish from her native land, Cuba, and made some of the best red beans and rice I've ever had! The girls were so appreciative and insisted on dressing Aniuska in a sari. Once they had wrapped it, they kept complaining that she was too tall - they couldn't get it folded five times and had to settle for two folds.

It was such a genuinely happy day, as the women starting mingling with each other. This was my real goal for the party, since I've noticed the women from different NGO centers don't interact much. Obviously this is natural, since they are insecure and uncomfortable with meeting new people. But after an hour of talking, looking through photos, dancing to Bollywood music videos, and eating sweets, everyone was talking and giggling together. There is one moment frozen in my memory, when one woman from the shelter home and one woman from the Muslim community center held hands and asked for a photo. Originally, there was tension between these women but now it seems they are friends! Such a joy to see them develop in their own self-confidence and their ability to socialize with others.

July 30, 2008

Yesterday I received a phone call from the girls at Kidderpore's night creche. They begged me to come visit, explaining that it was the last week for some of the older teenage girls. Confused, I went for a visit the next day, and as soon as I walked down the red light district's alley, my "daughter" came running out to hug me. A few minutes later, some of the teenagers came and literally started crying as soon as they saw me. Apparently, the NGO staff have made arrangements for six girls to move into the Loreto College home at Sealdah. While it was a surprise, it was truly a blessed surprise and I was SO extremely happy for them! They will live there and also attend school there. It is an excellent facility, very safe, and the girls will receive a great education. 
 
While this is a huge change for the girls, I am confident it is a change for the best. The older girls (age fifteen) are attracting too much attention from the local boys, as well as the traffickers and brothel owners. For example, tonight, after our visit at the center, the girls asked if they could get dressed up for a goodbye photo. They wanted to wear saris, which are at their mothers' homes, so the girls invited me to their homes. I had to say no, claiming I was tired but really because I didn't want the women in the brothels to feel uncomfortable. But, as we were walking to the photo shop their mothers really wanted me to come inside and sit down with them. I just entered the front hall, where all the women were waiting their next customer, and it was quite an overwhelming experience.

But that horror paled in comparison to our walk down the street, with these girls dressed up (makeup, saris, jewelry, etc.) The men were SO rude and indecent, making advances at them, asking "how much?" I was just trying to imagine what it would be like if I had to endure that on my way to homecoming or prom! Finally, we got to the photo shop and took this picture - these girls are so beautiful and have the right to feel good about themselves and their bodies.

I'm really thankful to Smarita and the other staff members who found this new home for them, where they can dress up as much as they want, dance whenever they feel like it, and not have to worry about being raped or abused. Please keep these girls in your thoughts as they adjust to their new home. In a few weeks, we will go visit them and bring them some gifts, but we decided it would be best to keep our distance for the initial few weeks so that they can settle in their new environment. If you'd like to send anything to these girls, please contact Sarah about making donations.

July 25, 2008 

Entering the center yesterday morning, I noticed a long brown tail slithering under the front door. Hmm… A fairly large snake was curled up in the corner, greeting me with its soft hisses. Although it was a harmless garden snake, I knew catching it without being bitten might be difficult. Luckily, we have a broom, so I was able to guide it out the other door. The first group of women arrived just as it was sneaking out, and they were quite “rattled” by its presence. Later, I learned that having a snake in your house is auspicious, so I suppose this is was lucky day!

Despite some minor setbacks, such as bad scissors and unusable sewing machines, the women divided the work as best as possible and began. I have certainly been learning a lot from them this week, like how difficult it is to stitch silk fabric (so slippery!)

As we were leaving, I mentioned to Aniuska (the volunteer from Americans for Informed Democracy) that I’m not responsible enough, or important enough, to have so many keys. I literally have 11 keys on my chain! Of course that jinxed it; this morning I couldn’t find the lock for the sewing machine room. We spent an hour banging on the lock until it broke. I’ll say this – if you ever need a strong lock in India go with the “Freedom” brand.

Today was another successful day at work. While the women are busy with cutting and stitching, Smarita and I have been busy with arranging for shipments, collecting the materials from the market, applying for our export license, and (worst of all) applying for an internet connection. You’d think that with all the call centers and IT hubs throughout India, they’d have a reliable source of internet. Think again! I’ve never had so much trouble getting internet connections that are high speed and consistent. Perhaps they should outsource…

July 21, 2008

Today was one of those days that restores my faith in humanity. Destiny Productions is officially open! We have rented out the Thomas Clayton Center and moved in our sewing machines, fabric, and most importantly, fans!  

Five young women from All Bengal Women’s Union and four young women from Apne Aap’s Topsia center have been hired to work at this new center. Mostly they are cutting and stitching basic cotton bags, but we plan to work with more valuable materials as they gain more experience. As the business grows, and we can afford more sewing machines, we plan to hire more young women from other shelter homes. This will help them reintegrate into mainstream society by exposing them to a professional work environment and also allow them to save money for their future outside the shelter home. 

We started the first day with introductions, and I showed a photograph of my family (they all giggled at my brother’s picture – “So tall!” Then we discussed the business, how they are part of this and need to help it grow. We don’t want these women to feel like day laborers; rather they should feel that this is their business and so it is in their best interest to be on time for work and be efficient during working hours. We openly worked out the payment plan, ensuring that each women feels she earns a decent salary. Then we went over our first orders and they felt confident they could make each item. 

After spending an hour unpacking the materials, we all sat in the “office room” for a sweet treat. We’ve decorated this room with two beautiful rugs from Apple of God’s Eye. We also have a nice mosaic on the way from Esther Benjamin’s Trust, and as soon as Sarah gets here we’re planning a nice mural for the sewing rooms!

Riding home in the autorickshaw, I couldn’t help but hope that these young women are as excited as I am. Obviously we’re all a little nervous, seeing as this is a new project us, but as the Indians say, “The elephant marches on, despite the barking dogs.”

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. Some of them are a little shy, but it's amazing how confident and strong these young women have become in just the previous year. Having a job really does empower them!

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, first I have to avoid the flooding. As you can see, sometimes having a car doesn't help much... 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.