A New Year Hope Dawns On Hansagiri Lane, Malda's 224-year-old Brothel; Sex Workers' Children Can Now Go To School

Banibrata Das, district school inspector (secondary), took the initiative to wriggle the children of lesser gods out of the mud.

Malda:Sex workers of Hansagiri Lane, a 224-year-old brothel in West Bengal's Malda, have something to cheer about amid the gloom and grind that seem to chain their lives. Thanks to yeoman's initiative from the district administration. As many as 12 children of sex workers will now get Aadhaar cards and other required documents, a prerequisite to make them eligible for getting enrolled for primary education in schools.

Left in the lurch and stigmatised for their mothers' profession since childhood, education has been a distant dream for these children, who could not even imagine such a situation, which creates an ambience for them to pursue education with their heads held high and minds remain without fear.

Though their mothers wanted them to be sent to schools they were at a loss to understand how to make it happen until Banibrata Das, district school inspector (secondary), took the initiative to wriggle them out of the mud. On learning about the matter, he went straight to that lane with his colleagues. He spoke to the sex workers and assured them about their children's education.

Come January 5, he will lead an awareness campaign among people of the locality. Children who do not have Aadhaar cards or other government documents will be given on that day. The District Magistrate himself has assured of all possible cooperation in this endeavour. The education fraternity of the district is also elated to know about the initiative.

Das said, "During the Education Week which will be celebrated across the district from January 1 to 8 in 584 schools, we will embark on a mission to enrol names of sex workers children in schools. The main goal is that not a single child in the district should miss school. For this, our team went to that red light area where an awareness campaign was run by us. Indeed, the children in that area do not have fathers' identity. But now the children can get admitted to school with the identity of their mother only.”

According to him, a camp will be organised in the red light area on January 5. The residents of that area will be made aware of the need for education. “Education is a right. No child should be deprived of that right. Kids of sex workers are also integral parts of our society. They should not be deprived of education. We have found 12 such children,” he added.

He said out of the total number of children identified, three do not have any documents. “We will talk to the district administration about this. Thereafter, we will take the necessary call. A teacher from a local school in the area said that she had earlier taken the initiative to get such children admitted to a school earlier. Those children are now studying at Chintamani School. Now, we want to ensure that these children will not be harassed by their classmates in schools,” he added.

The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Samiti, a local organisation, has extended all possible cooperation to the Education Department in this effort. Field worker Ambari Khatun of the association, said, “We have identified 12 children of the girls here for admission in school. We will admit two children there on Monday. Three children do not have any documents. I have been working with sex workers for more than 26 years. We are happy to work cohesively with their children now.”

Mohammad Ataullah, one of the senior educationists of the district, reacted enthusiastically to the development. “It's a good news. Although it is late, it will augur well for the children of sex workers.”

This initiative of the district education officer has brought tears to the eyes of Hansagiri Lane women. Wiping her tears of joy, one of them said, “My home is in Berhampore. After my parents died, my brothers threw me out of the house. I could not afford food. I was forced to enter this profession. I don’t want my daughter's future to be like mine. I will educate her. When she grows up, she will stand on her own feet. This is my dream.”