Good counsel
A brothel in Mumbai’s red light area is raided, and a nineteen-year-old girl is rescued from forced prostitution. She finds herself in a protective government home. In this place she is safe from traffickers, customers and pimps. But she feels alone, and like she has entered another form of imprisonment.
Accamma, Seena and others from our Project Priceless team regularly visit a government homes in Mumbai for girls who are over 18 and have been rescued from forced prostitution. After being rescued they stay here while their court cases are in progress. Where possible the girls are then reunited with their families. When this cannot happen, they can stay in the government home or another home is found for them.
Comfort
The probationary officers know the stories and backgrounds of the girls and refer those that need counseling to the Priceless team. Seena has been a counsellor with Priceless for the past 9 months. She says, ‘I go to the government homes three days a week and in a day I sit with two girls.'
 ‘With one girl I need to spend at least an hour so if I take too many girls I won’t be able to spend quality time with them. I feel satisfied when I see the girls comforted. When I think about my job, these girls are always in my heart and in front of my eyes, so it really drives me on to help them.’
Shobha Sheilar is the Superintendent at the government home for girls over 18. She faces many challenges in her job, such as staff shortages and lack of space. She says of Priceless, ‘They have entered our home on health issues but they are expanding now. Seena comes as a counsellor. They help make life stable for the girls and they are always having new ideas. They solved our water problem last year and now we have water 24 hours a day.’
Moving on
Priceless will start Hindi and English literacy classes in the home this month. A lot of girls who are forced into prostitution have had no chance of an education. With no qualifications or skills, they often feel that prostitution is the only route open to them.
Shobha’s hopes for the girls are that they will not be re-trafficked when they leave the home and that they will be able to make a living and reintegrate into society. In her two and a half years in the job, she has seen 8 girls leave the home and get jobs.
‘They are working somewhere and they are in touch with me.’ she says. ‘They were rescued and I faced all the challenges with them. Now they are stable. In two and a half years it is a good result.’
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