How do you reconcile all the extremes of India? How do you get your mind to balance the utter hopelessness of a red light district where thousands of women, many of them minors, are trapped in a life of degradation and exploitation with the kind of hope offered by SIMaid’s Girls off the Streets project?
I love India. I love the food, the people, the sights, sounds and even some of the smells but there are many things in this wonderful country that are absolutely heartbreaking.
Just days ago I travelled with our team down a road (not the one pictured above) which is the most well known red light district in Delhi. I sat in a cycle rickshaw as we were taken past a long row of buildings. The ground floors give a sense of decency to the buildings with hardware, plumbing and paint shops lining the street. They hide the real truth.
Stairways to Hell
Between each building is a very narrow stairway. The stairways are numbered 1 to 96. Up each flight of stairs, to the left and the right, are separate brothels, each run by a different madam or pimp. Each brothel holds 5 to 20 women, though an organisation has recently said that some brothels have close to 400 women in them.
When you start to do the math, you realise that there are more than 12 000 women being prostituted in that one road. However, it is believed that it’s likely that there are many more minors hidden in walls and ceilings who are only brought out at night for certain clients.
As the rickshaw made it’s way thought the stench and filth of that road I saw women peering through metal grills, beckoning men on the other side of the street. If you didn’t look up to the floors above ground level, you might travel the entire street without knowing the misery and exploitation happening just metres away.
There is Hope
As with most things in India there is a contrast, a contrast of hope. Authorities in India, including police, are working to rescue young women who have been trafficked into prostitution. Once girls are rescued some of them can begin to find hope and healing through a home supported through SIMaid and their Girls off the Streets project.
I had the opportunity within the last few days to speak with a number of the people involved with helping these young girls. The turn around in the lives of some of these precious young ladies is nothing short of remarkable. Some would say miraculous.
There are many reasons that girls end up being trafficked for sexual exploitation, and I’ll write more about some of them at another time, but for now just be assured that when you support Girls off the Streets, your support is making a very real difference in turning young lives around. The change is real. There can be hope. There can be healing. Will you support this vital work by giving to Girls off the Streets?
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