Sex workers chronicle life in Indian brothels

[Guest guest]

Sex workers chronicle life in Indian brothels

Monday July 30, 06:44 PM

MUMBAI (Reuters) - An exclusive magazine for prostitutes is offering

a snapshot of life in some of India's biggest brothels, reporting the

murky world of pimps and violent customers and showcasing the dreams

and talents of sex workers.

" Red Light Despatch, " a monthly publication, is full of emotional

outpourings of women sold to brothels as children, personal accounts

of torture and harassment, poems and essays by prostitutes, book and

film reviews and advocacy articles.

Health workers and prostitutes sit together once a week in a tiny

newsroom located inside a brothel in India's financial capital to

discuss stories, headlines and the design of issues.

The reporters, often themselves prostitutes or their relatives, file

their contribution after scouring the brothels of Mumbai, Kolkata and

New Delhi and some smaller cities.

" We choose the best stories for publishing, " said Rupa Metgudd, a

news coordinator and daughter of a former prostitute, sifting through

reports for the latest edition. " The magazine is not a mere

publication. For us it is journalism of purpose. "

Although prostitution is illegal in India, it is a thriving

underground industry and voluntary groups estimate that there are

about 2 million women sex workers.

Launched six months ago, the magazine is a platform for the

collective memories, nostalgia and dreams of the sex worker community

and an attempt to wean their children away from the profession, said

editor Anurag Chaturvedi.

DREAMS AND DESIRES

In one recent edition, Sita, a prostitute from Kolkata who gave only

one name, told of her violent childhood marriage that forced her to

flee her home and land in a brothel.

" My dignity was torn to pieces. I used to cry a lot. But I soon

learnt some things will never change no matter how much you cry, " she

wrote.

Elsewhere, women wrote about betrayed love, bad marriages, their

dreams of living a life of dignity, of owning a " house with lots of

sky, " and about the " frightening " world of prostitution.

With a little help from a voluntary group, the magazine prints about

1,000 copies in Hindi and English and is distributed free among

prostitutes and residents of red light districts.

The ragtag magazine, without any photographs, looks more like a

booklet but it apparently serves the purpose.

" It's a platform, a vent for many prostitutes who deposit their

anger, hurt and thoughts on these pages, " said Anita Khude, a health

volunteer associated with the magazine. " The magazine is for them and

it is about them. "

If there were any doubts about the quality of the magazine staffed by

people with no journalistic experience, two former journalists help

edit it.

There also are plans to turn it into a more appealing tabloid in

Hindi, English and Bengali.

" We have little money, but we still pay our writers small amounts so

that they realize they can earn a respectable living as well, " said

editor Chaturvedi.

For its reporters, getting stories from brothels is not a problem

because " we are accepted as one of them. "

" When we go to people's homes they are comfortable and they talk, "

said Khude. " In the next issue we will write about how a 'normal'

man -- a poor roadside snacks seller -- fought prejudices and married

a prostitute he fell in love with. "

http://au.news./070730/15/1431p.html

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Re: /message/7646

It is so nice to see this kind of news clips in India AIDS forum like monthly

magazine for the sew workers. It is a great move from the people who run this

magazine and deserve pat on their back.

HIV epidemic has given us the big opportunity to look through the lives of the

so called marginalized and criminalized people which, so far remained as one of

the darkest corners of our society. We could have been probabaly clueless about

these underprivileged and socially excluded groups if there were no AIDS. And

hopefully these brave people themselves are coming forward these days to say

about their 'aspirations, needs and rights'. The current initiative will

definitely inspire and facilitate such moves.

Once again thanks to this real good effort.

Best Regards,

Dr Sugata Mukhopadhyay

Jakarta, Indonesia

e-mail: <sugataids@...>