Dialogue

“Dialogue” is the English translation for the Bengali word “Sanlaap” – the name of the NGO I’m interning at. And dialogue is their foundation idea – insisting on a public dialogue about violence against women. They began as a woman’s rights group almost 20 years ago, but after extensive work in the red light districts of Calcutta, they heeded the voices of the prostitutes and began to work with their children. Sanlaap has grown enormously through the years and now focuses mainly on the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. This includes working with disadvantaged children of prostitutes, former child prostitutes, and girls 18 and under who have been trafficked into prostitution.

I have been enormously impressed with how they run things. They use cutting edge ideas of peer counseling, empowerment, conflict resolution, and leadership building to holistically foster these children. With a staff of 220 they run 3 shelters for girls who have been rescued from trafficking or who are vulnerable to being led into prostitution, 14 drop in centers in various red light areas where sex workers can send their children from 4-8pm while they are busy with customers (the kids get tutoring with their homework and engage in various enrichment activities), a youth center for teenagers from the red light districts, a working hostel that offers cheap accommodation for girls who graduate from the shelters with no family support systems, a legal team that represents the trafficked girls in court, a research team, a communications department, and various other support staff.

Granted the challenges they face keep everything from being perfectly hunky dorey, but the basic approach is really inspiring. I’m finishing up my orientation now and have gotten to see all the various work and met a bunch of the kids. I’m humbled by both the places they’re coming from and the battles they will still have to face in their childhood.
Battles I can’t even wrap my head around in my adulthood.

Sanlaap


Due to ethical considerations, the pictures I post won't be of children from the actual shelters or red light districts. These kids live near New Delhi.