Women from slums had spilled onto the streets in a show of grit and strength in the wee hours of Sunday. Twenty women from Dharavi slums participated in the 5-km-run. It was a melange of women from all backgrounds and across age groups. Community workers, female sex workers (FSWs), school drop outs and doctors ran and jogged together for the cause of woman emancipation.
Women from slums had spilled onto the streets in a show of grit and strength in the wee hours of Sunday. Twenty women from Dharavi slums participated in the 5-km-run. It was a melange of women from all backgrounds and across age groups. Community workers, female sex workers (FSWs), school drop outs and doctors ran and jogged together for the cause of woman emancipation.
Society for Human and Environmental Development (SHED) has 1,500 FSWs under its wing in Dharavi, of which close to 20% are below 18 years of age. "We find girls as young as 15 getting pulled into the flesh trade in Dharavi. We work with vulnerable groups but do not report these cases to the legal authorities," said Dr Parveen Nisar, a doctor working with SHED.
Anita (name changed) has been involved in sex trade at Dharavi since she was 16 years. She is now 22 years old. Married off at 15, and later abandoned by her husband, she was drawn into prostitution. "Rooms are rented on an hourly basis for the business. We lead a miserable life but don't know the way out," said Anita.
FSWs reel under tremendous health problems and are in need of special care. "They suffer from heavy amounts of vaginal discharge, fungal infections and low levels of calcium and iron in the body. We have to make sure that they undergo a health check up every three months," informed Dr Nisar.
The cause of FSWs Anita says, is often swept under the carpet. Their problems are often kept clandestine and hidden away from the prying eyes of society and the police. "I feel empowered to run the streets of Mumbai without any fear or shame in an event like this marathon," said Anita.
In such a dire state, crime against women is no novelty. A week ago, a 16-year-old boy raped a 5-year-old girl in a playground behind a school. The crux of the problem lies in the patriarchal mindset, said Dr Nisar. In a recent study conducted by SHED, lifestyle patterns of 60 adolescent girls and 42 adolescent boys were analysed.
Dr Nisar said that the study came up with worrying results, adding: "Boys spent the majority of their time at home watching television or whiling away time playing, while the girls went to school and then helped at home. We are now intervening with families in an effort to convince them to treat boys and girls equally." Ways to achieve this, the doctor said, include visiting their homes, conducting street plays and discussions to persuade them to educate both, boys and girls.
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