India: Kolkata's former sex workers make money in recycling

DW (English)

In Kolkata’s red-light districts, women rescued from sex trafficking are rebuilding their lives through sustainable recycling work.

Transcript

00:00My grandmother was involved in this profession in the red light district. My

00:04aunt got sold in Shonagachi, Kolkata's largest red light district at the age of

00:0911. That's when my struggle started. I was training here at the NGO for nearly a

00:15year. Now I have passed the exams, I have moved on to production work. She doesn't

00:22want to be recognized. She wants to leave her old life behind in the red light

00:27districts of Kolkata. Like many other women involved in social programs, she's

00:32found new prospects at the NGO Hamari Muskan. In small workshops, they turn fabric

00:38scraps, paper waste and old glass bottles into handmade products like bags,

00:43clothing and home accessories. What was once trash becomes a resource and the

00:50foundation of a new life.

00:53When they are training, they get 2 to 2,500 rupees stipend. Once they move into

01:02production, we pay around 5 to 6,000 rupees. The mega city of Kolkata, capital of the

01:10Indian state of West Bengal, produces about 4,500 tons of waste every day, including a

01:16lot of textile waste. Across India, it amounts to around 7.8 million tons annually. Less than

01:225% is recycled, often only in small projects.

01:27Previously, the shirt which I am using, maybe my brother was using. But today, the family

01:36is smaller. So what happens? This becomes a waste at your home.

01:42This is not the case at the NGO Destiny Foundation and Reflection in Kolkata. Here, old sarees,

01:51traditional women's clothing in India, are recycled into stylish bags. Women who have

01:57been rescued from sex trafficking work here, building new lives for themselves. They take

02:02pride in their work, saving products from the scrap heap and giving them a new life.

02:07From one saree, we can make at least five bags. If the bags are intricate, we can make 10 to 15

02:15a day. If they are easier to make, three girls working together can make 30 bags a day. Destiny

02:24foundation and reflection is more than an NGO. It's a social business with international sales.

02:33Recycling is at the heart of our social business. We work on 1,500 to 2,000 sarees a year and make

02:404,000 to 5,000 products. We have connections with ethical distributors who buy and sell these products

02:47in Europe, the USA and Canada. Kolkata is promoting sustainable living with a zero waste shop. Women

02:57from the city's informal settlements, working through local recycling initiatives, carefully prepare donated

03:03clothes to sell. The money they earn goes straight to them, providing a steady income. For anyone who wants

03:09to shop consciously, this is the place to find sustainable clothing at fair prices.

03:14We often go thrifting here. It's great because as college students, we can't always afford expensive clothes.

03:29Dhapa is Kolkata's largest landfill. Originally designed for 2,500 tons of waste a day,

03:36it now receives over 5,000 tons. Families with children live in the surrounding areas.

03:41Children are the focus of the NGO Tanu's Vocational Training Society. They wear clothes that their

03:49mothers sue from fabric scraps, also learning about how to reduce waste. These children are the faces of

03:56the Khude collection, meaning the little ones in Bengali. This work helps women support their families

04:02and fund their children's education. Teaching kids early about sustainability is also the goal of an

04:11initiative developed by sustainability expert Shadhan Kumar Ghosh. It now reaches over 300 schools across India.

04:20The way we are doing, we must change our mindset.

04:24In the mission Catch Them Young, Zero Waste and Circular Economy in Campus. What is being done in that mission?

04:34The school level children are given the concept of waste management and circular economy.

04:39A circular economy is also about creating new opportunities. You're back at the NGO Destiny

04:47Foundation and Reflection, where women rescued from sex trafficking are sewing bags made from recycled

04:53saris. 5,000 carry bags can generate 700 hours of employment opportunities. So we are able to touch

05:03around 1,500 families' lives. 95% of our beneficiaries said that they could avoid exploitation or re-trafficking.

05:16My landlady forced my mother to work. I saw her grow older as she continued to work.

05:22I decided I needed to get a job. Then I got a job here.

05:26It's been about 10 to 12 years since I left that area. Now, my mother is safe. And so am I.

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