Mangala Prodhan - Life Story of a Bengali sex worker
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0:01 - 0:05i got married at the age of 14 while I was still studying in school
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0:05 - 0:08Mangala Prodhan
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0:08 - 0:10My husband become mentally ill within a year of marriage.
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0:10 - 0:13I left my home with a son and a daughter
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0:15 - 0:21i tried to make the marriage work for atleast 4-5 years
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0:21 - 0:23but I finally failed ot make it work.
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0:23 - 0:25So, I went back to my parents house
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0:25 - 0:29My parents suggested that I marry again
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0:29 - 0:32but i did not agree because my children were still young.
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0:32 - 0:36I was afraid that if I married again, the new family might send my children away
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0:36 - 0:40So, I told my parents that I would take my children with me and raise the kids by myself
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0:40 - 0:43and will not marry again
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0:47 - 0:51I lived with my children in my parents home for some time.
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0:51 - 0:54Then my brothers started fighting with me so I left home.
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0:54 - 0:58Then someone offered me a job for house work.
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0:58 - 1:01I left my children with my parents and went to work
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1:04 - 1:06I stayed there for long time,
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1:06 - 1:08and used to send money to my parents
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1:08 - 1:11but even that family started to beat me without any reason
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1:11 - 1:15They sent me to a factory in Sibpur, a place in Howrah district.
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1:15 - 1:23There they threatened me that if I didn't work as a sex worker,
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1:23 - 1:29they wouldn't give me money
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1:29 - 1:33I tried not to do this kind of work
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1:33 - 1:41but as my parents demanded me for money for the kids, I
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1:41 - 1:45had to become a sex worker
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1:48 - 1:53At that time, I was around 20-22 years old.
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1:53 - 1:59I was very afraid, and my conscience questioned me
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1:59 - 2:03on why why I continued with such profession when I belonged from a good family.
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2:03 - 2:07But when I saw that I could not take my children back and raise them well unless I earned money,
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2:09 - 2:12and I learned that my parents and brothers were planning
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2:13 - 2:16to sell the children for money,
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2:16 - 2:21i brought my children in the brothel
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2:21 - 2:25but due to lack of space here, I sent them to a children's home.
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2:25 - 2:30So, they started studying there.
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2:30 - 2:35But i could not keep the girl in the children's home because I did not have sufficient money.
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2:36 - 2:41Then, I married off my six year old daughter to someone.
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2:49 - 2:51After I did this, my life became miserable.
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2:52 - 2:56i did not know anything about the law on marrying children below-age
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2:56 - 3:00and I was sent to jail.
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3:00 - 3:04When I came out of jail, the government put my daughter into a children's home
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3:04 - 3:08and did not allow her to stay with me.
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3:08 - 3:13I told them that I got my daughter married off at such a young age only because
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3:13 - 3:16I did not want her to stay with me in brothel
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3:16 - 3:22i never wanted my daughter to become a sex worker also
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3:22 - 3:26i let her get married because the family was agreed to give money
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3:26 - 3:30at the time of marriage i get caught
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3:30 - 3:36and sent to the jail
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3:36 - 3:39government took responsibility of the girl till 18 years
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3:39 - 3:46in the meantime i was earning money as a sex worker
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3:46 - 3:49i made my house also
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3:49 - 3:58when my daughter become 18 years, i got her back
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3:58 - 4:03and she continued study while staying with me
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4:03 - 4:07when she was 20 years old, i let her get married
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4:07 - 4:10she is now happy with her family and kids
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4:10 - 4:13i also left working as sex worker
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4:13 - 4:17now i am working in mamata care and treatment centre
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4:17 - 4:21here it is good for my health also
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4:21 - 4:28i always try to explain others about the problems oh HIV positive
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4:28 - 4:30where to get treatment, what are their rights
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4:30 - 4:33how to fight for their rights,where to go in hospital
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4:33 - 4:41this is why i am working in the care and treatment centre
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4:41 - 4:49while working here, i have found the right direction towards future
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4:49 - 4:55i never knew people can live
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4:55 - 4:58even if affected with HIV positive
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4:58 - 5:07now i know the actual problems of HIV
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5:07 - 5:12i used to think HIV is fatal and people can never live with HIV
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5:12 - 5:15after working at ICTC, now i know HIV is only a virus
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5:15 - 5:19if only HIV enters in human body, he dont die
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5:19 - 5:22but if HIV as well as Tuberculosis enters human body, he/she can die
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5:22 - 5:26now i feel satisfied by explaining others
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5:26 - 5:32i explain others by comparing with me
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5:32 - 5:34that people dont die from HIV
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5:34 - 5:37they have the rights to live
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5:37 - 5:42they can live just like other normal people
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5:42 - 5:44i take them to hospital for treatment
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5:44 - 5:48i have shown them one way to live
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5:48 - 5:53we also have clinics under TI project
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5:53 - 5:55there are doctors in clinics,
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5:55 - 6:03and we take them to clinics for any disease like fever, bad stomach or even sexual disease
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6:03 - 6:14even we have advocates of our Durbar Union
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6:14 - 6:19they provide support to any social or family problems of sex workers
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6:19 - 6:24suppose somebody is affected with HIV
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6:24 - 6:29she is having children and her family dont take care of her
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6:29 - 6:33then we have advocates from Durbar Union
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6:33 - 6:38who helps her getting her rights
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6:38 - 6:45we even follow her up in her house so that she does not get beaten up by her family
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6:45 - 6:49and we provide her counselling service too
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6:49 - 6:50so that she never felt alone
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6:50 - 6:53at present our network has 215 members
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6:53 - 6:55we organize a meeting once in a month
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6:55 - 6:58all the members join that meeting
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6:58 - 7:05we also provide food rationing system to those who are not financially stable
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7:06 - 7:18we provide 8 kg rice, 6 kg flour, soyabeans, cereals, biscuits every month
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7:18 - 7:24so that she can live at least by taking food
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7:24 - 7:29all the time we provide mental support
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7:29 - 7:32that we are with you
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7:32 - 7:35we repeatedly tell them HIV is not AIDS, its only a virus
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7:35 - 7:37if you dont take medicines, then it will converted to AIDS
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7:37 - 7:40then you will not have any resistance power
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7:40 - 7:42we explain them that unless you take madicine, it will be converted to AIDS
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7:42 - 7:48In this way we also become mentally satisfied,feel happy by doing some good to others
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7:48 - 7:56these days we do counselling by ourselves
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7:56 - 8:01that i am a HIV positive, and we teach them how to use condom so that they dont get affected
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8:01 - 8:07we even teach our own children to use condom
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8:07 - 8:12we always force others to use condoms
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8:12 - 8:18here we show them how to use condom by using dildo
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8:18 - 8:23we tell them that if a condom bursts, then HIV virus may enter in the human body
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8:23 - 8:25you dont know who has HIV virus or not
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8:25 - 8:28and if it enters once, it will never come out in this life
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8:28 - 8:31it will start reducing your resistance power, if you dont take treatment
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8:31 - 8:34and you will be getting affected by other diseases
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8:34 - 8:40that they dont get affected by HIV, we always advise the customers to use condom
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8:40 - 8:47we explain them the other ways of getting affected by HIV
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8:47 - 8:51always use new injection syringes
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8:51 - 8:58if we take blood in hospital, it has to be checked for HIV
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8:58 - 9:01if a pregnant woman is HIV affected
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9:01 - 9:11we take her to PPCT and give medicines so that the child does not born with HIV
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9:11 - 9:28we always provide counselling and mental support to them
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9:33 - 9:40SHE IS DIAGNOSED WITH HIV IN 2005, AND SINCE THEN WITH THE HELP OF DURBAR UNION SHE HAS BEEN TAKING TREATMENT FOR IT
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9:42 - 9:54SHE HAS WORKED WITH MAMTA CARE AND TREATMENT CENTER AND ALWAYS HELPED OTHERS EXPLAINING ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF HIV AFFECTED PERSONS
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9:57 - 10:08AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW, SHE WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THIS NETWORK
- Title:
- Mangala Prodhan - Life Story of a Bengali sex worker
- Description:
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http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D9703661D89DE3B
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The Darbar Mahila Samanvaya Samiti is an example of when the expression of knowledge and solidarity in one collective voice can help even the most vulnerable and socially exploited persons to start recognizing and exercising their rights. And when they do so, there is a sense of more dignity and security among the entire community.
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http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Development_Cooperation_Handbook/Stories/Living_with_Dignity - Video Language:
- Bengali
- Duration:
- 12:29
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vrindadar edited English subtitles for Mangala Prodhan - Life Story of a Bengali sex worker | |
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Tapas Das edited English subtitles for Mangala Prodhan - Life Story of a Bengali sex worker | |
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Tapas Das added a translation |