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"SONAGACHI DROP-IN CENTRE" FOR THE CHILDREN OF WOMEN IN PROSTITUTION
Project Area: Sonaghachi (Red Light Area) Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Proposed Project Duration: January 08 January 09
Profile of Sonaghachi:
Sonaghachi is one of the largest red-light areas in Kolkata and one of the oldest ones. It is situated in the northern part of Kolkata (ward no 18, under KMC) near the intersection of Chittaranjan Avenue, Sova Bazar and Beadon Street. Many of the women and girls are trafficked from Nepal and Bangladesh or have been inducted into their mother's profession. Here women have a greater street profile than men.
Women live in tiny rooms with their children. When their mothers entertain clients in the tiny rooms, the children either roam the streets, or cower under the bed. These children of women in prostitution are extremely vulnerable, and are, by necessity, left unsupervised and at risk from people and the heavy traffic. The girl children live under constant high risk of being inducted into the flesh trade. Due to the lack of awareness or opportunity for alternative means of livelihood, the children often enter the profession at a very young age, unaware of the exploitation, violence, and abuse they will have to endure. No mother, themselves being victims of circumstances, wants the same for their child. Too often, however, the mothers are unaware of alternative options and both the mothers and the children are left with no choice.
Project Aim:
Provision of a Place of Safety, providing non-formal & formal education, mainstreaming into formal school, general health care, weekly health check ups, nutrition and safe shelter to at risk girl children and others.
Project Beneficiaries:
The project will directly benefit 50 children of women in prostitution between the ages of 5-14 years. These children will be provided with a place of safety in WIF's Drop-in Centre from 6-10 pm when their mothers are busy with their clients. Most clients leave the area no later than 10 pm to reach their homes by 11pm. The peak hours of the Sonagachi area are from 7 -10 pm. A few women take clients after 10 pm but at much higher rates. The mothers will indirectly benefit knowing their children are in a place of safety.
Main Activities
· Provide a place of safety for the children at the peak working times of their mother's profession.
· Provide formal and non-formal education to the children between the ages of 5-14 years
· Provide Remedial Education for the school goers, to enable them to remain in the formal school system. This includes providing support in the form of school fees, uniforms, shoes and socks, school bags, and accessories such as books, exercise books, pencils, erasers
· Provide extra-curricular activities in the form of art and crafts, music, dance, nature studies, yoga, physical education, and recreational excursions Provide
· Provide Health Care through a Doctor's weekly health check up which will include both general and sexual health. Medicines will be distributed as prescribed
· Provide supplementary nutrition.
· Organise monthly mother's meeting to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and other STD's, the need for children's education, and distribute free condoms.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Women's Interlink Foundation will monitor the project through a system of daily supervision of all the non-formal, remedial classes, as well as monthly mothers meetings at the centre. Monthly reports will be generated on the basis of the project indicators. Quarterly evaluation will be undertaken by the Magdalene Foundation.
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