LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL: CASE STUDY OF A FEMALE SEX WORKER FROM KERALA

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LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL: CASE STUDY OF A FEMALE SEX WORKER FROM KERALA
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This is the story of Ms. Suma, a 40 year old woman, who faced a lot of
struggle in the street as a sex worker. Suma is a good looking woman
who belongs to Naduvil Village, a distant rural village of Kannur
District in Kerala. She hails from a lower middle class family and her
parents are agricultural labourers. At the age of 19, she had been
forced to marry a middle aged alcoholic, with rude and bothersome
character. He tortured her sexually, physically and mentally. Her
matrimonial life was a failure and she disassociated her husband after
six years of marriage, solely due to his cruel behavior towards her.
During this short period of matrimony, she became the mother of four
children.

After disassociation, her life with four toddling children was
pathetic and she found difficulty in meeting their daily needs.
Because of extreme poverty and sufferings, once she tried to commit
suicide along with her children, but failed due to the timely
intervention of compatriots.

This incidence provided opportunity to a circumventor to establish
rapport with her and he offered employment opportunity to her at
Kannur Town. She fell in his trap and came to the town with him in the
year 1990. Actually he was the connecting link of a sex racket in the
town and he coerced her to have sex with his clients. The hapless
woman had no other option, and she agreed to have sex with them. He
paid a share of his earning to her. Slowly she got accustomed to the
new occupation that provided enough money without much hardship and
became a fulltime sex worker of Kannur Town. The companionship with
the members of sex circuit and the new occupation, gave her the
opportunity to consume alcohol and drugs. Gradually she became a
drunkard.

Severe alcoholism caused a shift in her client profile and the high
yielding middle/upper class clients avoided her due to this bad habit.
When the income reduced, her herder deliberately eliminated her from
his home to the street. It was during the middle of 1990s. In the
street her life was heinous and rocky. As a street based sex worker,
she suffered a lot, both from the sex circuit and from the public.

The Targeted Intervention Project implemented by Jeevana Samskrity- a
Kannur Based NGO identified her and established therapeutic rapport
with her in the year 2000. They helped her to contact a de-addiction
counselor and gave an opportunity to understand the value of her life
and how to lead a valued life at its best. Regular visit to the
Project provided opportunity to interact with other sex workers who
hailed from same or even severe situation where extreme poverty,
physical, mental and social harassment, etc. These exposures changed
her attitudes towards life. By realizing the worth of her life, she
wanted to work for the welfare of her peers. This urge helped her to
become one of the founder members of Chola – the Community Based
Organization of female sex workers in Kannur District. The bitter
experiences from the street and professional training from the
Targeted Intervention Programme made her strong enough to vie for the
rights of her equals.

She has been democratically elected as the President of Chola during
the year 2006. During her tenure, Chola become independent from its
Mother NGO and took up the responsibility of implementing TI Programme
among female sex workers in Kannur District. Now it is one of the best
community led targeted intervention programmes in the State of Kerala.
Under her glaring leadership, Chola developed strong networks with
various governmental and non-governmental agencies. As a result she
could start a shelter (Protective and Rehabilitation Home) for the
aged female sex workers in the district who were compelled to lead a
miserable life in the street. She could also start mid day meal
programme to the poor women who visit the drop in centre promoted by
Chola. She could set –up a strong crises management team in the CBO to
deal with vulnerability factors that affect the life of female sex
workers in the district.

Now she is trying to find out means for free medical care to her
community members and income generation programmes to the CBO for its
sustainability. She is committed to develop second line leadership in
the CBO and hence promote shadow leadership in it.

It is obvious that the targeted intervention programme in Kerala has a
great stake in the accomplishment of Suma as leader. She is certain
that she would not be on earth now, if she has not been identified and
cared by the Targeted Intervention. Now she leads a worthy life with
her children and her children are also happy with her change. She is
satisfied with the recognition she receives from the Society as a
Social Reformer. She is content with the love and care she receives
from her community. Her positive spirit and effective leadership will
certainly change the lives of hundreds of hapless female sex workers
in the State. Suma believes that life has been her biggest teacher.
She understands the women she works for as she has lived her life like
them. With her empathy and understanding she could easily identify key
areas that needed to be addressed

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