I’d like to invite you on a virtual walk with me through a neighborhood in central Kolkata. This one square kilometer area is brimming with life. Walking down the narrow alleys you will meet mothers doing their wash, holding and nursing their babies, children playing cricket with a stick, and men doing chores or taking bucket baths in the open air. Chickens, dogs, cats and rats all run about freely. Although all will feel strange to you, there is a sense of normalcy in the life that is taking place in the alleys. Your nose will soon become accustomed to a variety of smells including the sharp smell of burning charcoal as neighbors make and drink their chai outside. As we walk, we nod our greetings, put our hands together and say our “Nomaskar,” all the while praying quietly for the people we meet.
Walking down the alley at 10 A.M., you would not know that this is a red-light district unless I told you. Here 16,000 women earn money to feed their families by working in the sex trade. Some women start working early in the day. By 5 P.M. the streets are lined with women waiting for customers. A large percentage of these women are mothers. Just like other mothers, they are trying to survive and provide the best life they can for their children. But these mothers face intense obstacles.
The majority of the children living in this community do not attend school. During the day when the women have customers, the children are outside, unsupervised, placing them in great danger of abuse. Alcohol and drug abuse are rampant. From a human perspective, there is little hope for the future.
When you think of women working in the sex trade, it is important to remember that a large percentage of these women are mothers, struggling to feed their families and take care of their children. I remember when we were first praying about launching the work of anti-trafficking in West Bengal, the social workers interviewed women who were working in the sex trade. One mother leaned into the social worker with a piercing gaze and asked, “What would you do if you didn’t have milk for your baby?”
The good news however is that God has not abandoned this neighborhood or the families that live here. God is bringing transformation to women and families in this red-light area, one life at a time. God has placed His people shining as lights in this red-light community where thousands of women work in the sex trade, earning money to support their families. These women are in need of opportunities to earn income with dignity. Love Calcutta Arts is a freedom business in partnership with Bridges4Justice. Priya, director of Love Calcutta Arts, recently shared a story of transformation in the life of a mother who grew up and still lives in this red-light community with the support of Bridges4Justice. Bridges4Justice is helping to bring transformation to communities, one life at a time. Each woman is valuable and when a mother’s life is transformed, it brings transformation to the lives of her children and extends to others in the community.
To learn more about Love Calcutta Arts, visit their website Home - Love Calcutta Arts. To purchase products from Love Calcutta Arts in the U.S., visit the Bridges4Justice store at Collections – Bridges4Justice
Written by Sharon M.
