A crusade against flesh trade
Piyush Pushpak
CNN-IBN
Posted Saturday , June 10, 2006 at 08:39


Muzaffarpur (Bihar): At first sight, it might look like another street
play. But when the message of the artistes cuts across, you know there
lies a deeper meaning to their efforts.

A group of 20 people in Bihar's Muzaffarpur town are on a crusade.
They want the society to accept sex workers and they want those in the
flesh trade to quit the profession.

Most of the members of this movement are daughters of sex workers. At
the forefront is an 18-year-old, Nashima. Her days at school, where
she was shunned by classmates, forced her to start this endeavour.

"Aaj itna kuch kar rahe hai to khud par yakin nahi hota hai ki ye wahi
Nashima hai jo kabhi school jaya karti thi aur logon ko nahi batati
thi wo sex worker ki beti hai. Woh aaj samne aakar manch par batane ko
taiyar hai(It is hard to believe that today, I am doing so much for
the cause. There used to be a time when I was ashamed to tell anyone
in school that I am the daughter of a sex worker. Today, I am standing
on a stage and saying it)," says Nashima, daughter of a sex worker.

Every night, when houses of sex workers start playing blaring music to
invite to willing customers, these girls play their own music - songs
that tell visitors that there is life beyond sex in the houses of sex
workers.

Shabnam, daughter of a sex worker, says that the songs - composed on
their own - are a medium to reach out to the audience.

"Hum logon ne nukad natak ko ek madyam banaya hai kyoki hum direct ja
kar nahi keh saktei hai ki sex work karna galat hai aur isko chod kar
kuch aur sochiye (We have made street plays a medium because we cannot
directly go up to them and tell them that carrying on sex work is
wrong and they should think about doing something else)," she says.

And their message is well received. "Isse accha hi pravabh padega.
Aane wale bhavishya mei aacha vikas hoga. Aur jo log galatfemi ke
shikaar ho gaye hai aache rastei par aa jayenge (This will have a good
impact and there will be a progress for the future generations. And
the people who have been victims of misunderstandings will get back on
the right path)," says Rehana Khatun, a sex worker.

Even the children of sex workers have dreams. But these dreams get
buried in the kothas (brothels) as the society looks upon them as
centers of flesh trade.

Here's an excerpt from their monthly publication -

Mera naam Aved hai mai bada ho kar doctor banna chahta hu. Mera naam
Talim hai, mai bada ho kar hero banna chahta hu. (My name is aved and
I want to be a doctor when I grow up. My name is Talim and I want to
be an actor when I grow up)

But with these group of girls joining hands to send out a message that
they too have the right to live like any other human beings, their
dreams might just come true.