'Stigma-free' upbringing for sex workers' kids

Contrary to what their mothers have to face, it is a "stigma-free" atmosphere for 34 children of sex workers staying at a charitable trust here, around 25 km from West Bengal capital Kolkata.

Despite the knowledge of their background, these children are ready to take on the world albeit with a bit of support.

Most of them wish to chart out their own path and do not wish to return to their murky background.

The Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission in Barrackpore in collaboration with NGO Apne Aap Women Worldwide has given shelter to these children since 2005.

A majority of them come from Kolkata's Muslim-dominated Khidderpore area and receive free boarding, food and education till the post-graduate level.

"They reside with children from normal backgrounds and mingle with them. They are not isolated as sex workers' wards and live in a stigma-free environment. We hope that with proper education, they will scale great heights," Mission secretary Subhankar Maharaj told reporters Wednesday.

Indeed, 13-year-old Piu, a boarder at the Mission for the last four years, is a bundle of energy as she speaks with zeal about her ambition of becoming a geography teacher. Her mother, from Khidderpore, visits her every Sunday.

"I want to read more, study more. I get to study a lot here. I hope I can become a geography teacher one day. My mother hopes I can achieve what I want. I do not want to go back there (Khidderpore)," Piu said.

Shahana Dasgupta, state head of Apne Aap, explained the state of mind of these children and the mothers.

"We initially had problems as the mothers would come and take away their kids, saying we were trying to convert them to Hinduism. Most of them are Muslims. Another factor was that they had a hard time parting with their kids. They had doubts as to how well they will be looked after," Dasgupta said.

But the children have got attached to the secure surroundings of the Mission and want to stay there. This is what allayed the fears of the mothers, she said.

"Mother wants me to receive the best education. We are not discriminated against here. I want to join the army some day and want to guard our borders. My mother asks me to study diligently," Aadhar Jha, a student of Class 9 in the Mission's school, said in broken English.

Like Jha, others have plans and their only demand is better infrastructure in terms of education.

"We get so much support here. Better infrastructure in terms of teachers and more diverse study options would be welcome," said Neelanjan Laha, a Class 7 student and boarder at the Mission for two years.

Subhankar Maharaj, who was raised as a destitute child in the same Mission, highlighted the importance of Indian sponsors. He said only 25 percent of sponsors of his establishment are Indians.

"The majority are from the US, Britain, Australia. If more Indians could contribute, we would be able to support more," he said, adding that there are 1,251 destitute children in his organisation.