My Journey From Being Bullied As Daughter Of A Sex Worker in Kamathipura To University Abroad
Sandhya Nair got an opportunity to study at the University for Peace in Costa Rica thanks to Kranti — an NGO run by Robin Chaurasiya and Bani that provides shelter, education and opportunities for daughters of sex workers. Here’s her journey.
Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual abuse, bullying
“These girls are capable of extraordinary things and they are just normal human beings who deserve the exact same rights, dignity and opportunities as anyone else on this planet,” says Robin Chaurasiya, co-founder of Kranti, an NGO revolutionising the lives of daughters of sex workers.
One of the girls whose life has changed thanks to Kranti is Sandhya Nair. Raised in Kamathipura, Mumbai, Sandhya is the daughter of a sex worker. Throughout her childhood, she was bullied and shamed in school and outside for her mother’s profession.
Her struggle began right from getting admission into a private school where her mother had to lie about her profession. Being upfront would result in no school admitting the child. As much as her mother tried to shield her, when the school and her classmates realised the truth, life became hell for young Sandhya.
“It started with bullying over my skin colour. They would call me different names, including a ‘black crow’ and more,” she shares. It got so bad that her classmates once pushed her head into a commode as they told her, “You belong here, stay here.”
Teachers too ridiculed her and made her sit on a separate bench at the back. While this abuse continued in school, she was sexually abused at home.
“I was raped multiple times when I was between 10 and 16 years old. My abuser would warn me that if I told anyone about it, no one would believe me. Every time he abused me, he told me that I deserved this. I heard the same thing everywhere that I deserved all the abuse because of my background,” she adds.
Things changed for her when she moved to Kerala in Class 10, away from abuse and a city where no one knew what her mother did several years ago. However, the trauma of the first 14 years of her life led to many difficulties including her studies.
The light in the tunnel appeared for her in the form of a newspaper cutting about Shweta Katti, who became the first girl from an Indian red-light district to secure an international scholarship and study abroad at Bard College in New York. Shweta asked Sandhya to reach out to Robin, who simply asked her to catch the first train and come to Kranti.
Kranti provides shelter, education, support and opportunities for girls between the ages of 12 and 21. The NGO has its own school with six teachers. Learn more about how Kranti turned her life around, along with 27 others:
Currently, Kranti has moved to a permanent home in Himachal, which can house over 50 girls and is raising funds for the same. If you wish to donate, click on the button below:
Edited by Pranita Bhat
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