A restaurant run by sex workers in Kerala

[Guest guest]

And now, a restaurant run by sex workers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A temple town in Kerala, India's

most literate state, is the focus of a unique experiment aimed at

rehabilitating sex workers. Fifteen of them are running a small

restaurant in the heart of the city.

" Initially it was viewed by all as a meeting place for sex workers, "

said A.P. Sujatha of the Association for Care and Support (ACS), a

voluntary association that is overseeing the project at Thrissur, 300 km

from the state capital.

" Even policemen were suspicious and they used to come in plainclothes.

Under the pretext of having food, they observed what we were doing.

Finally the doubts were cleared and now no one has any suspicion about

our intentions, " she said.

Named " Jwalamukhi, " the one-room restaurant functions out of a building

that houses the ACS, an organisation supported by the Kerala State AIDS

Cell. " Jwalamukhi " is one of the names of the goddess Durga, viewed as a

symbol of women's empowerment.

Of the 15 women who run the restaurant, six have given up their

previous profession while the others put in a full day at the

establishment before plying their trade.

Sujatha sees nothing wrong in this dual role. " There is nothing wrong in

certain women continuing in the profession, because they do the job

because they enjoy doing it, " she said. " Our aim is to see that none

stays in the profession by force. We try our best to rehabilitate all

those who want to come out of it. "

To this end, ACS, which oversees the functioning of the restaurant, also

offers medical assistance to sex workers and conducts vocational

classes for them.

The restaurant is now looking to expand since " in the nearly one month

of our operation, the sales have been good, " Sujatha said. " We are

already on the lookout for a bigger place, so that we could expand the

restaurant. "

The restaurant got a major boost when two of the women who run it,

Nalini Jameela and K. Lalitha, were invited to attend a week-long

international seminar organised by the Global Alliance Against

Trafficking of Women (GAATW) in Thailand.

Speaking to IANS, Nalini said that sex workers were taught at the

seminar to handle a video camera. " This was done to train us to make a

documentary film on sex workers. We came back on May 29 and have started

to work on the script of a video film that is to be shot in Kerala,

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Mumbai and Delhi, " she said.

The GAATW will provide a video camera while the other expenses for the

film will have to be raised locally. " We require at least Rs. 200,000.

We are hopeful of raising this money from donations, " said Nalini.

" Unlike other states, where this is a more organised and commercial

business with several brothels and brokers operating, it is not like

that in Kerala. Here there are educated sex workers, whereas in other

states, many are duped or sold into this business, " she said.

Nalini, who took to the profession 22 years ago, helps out in the

restaurant and occasionally goes back to her trade - but has no qualms

about it. " This is a profession and I don't think that there is anything

wrong in pursuing a vocation which one likes.

" Isn't sex part of nature? Like all other professions, we enjoy this

profession. We are against anyone being lured into this profession

without their consent or approval " , said Nalini, who has two daughters.

(IANS) Times of India. 4 June 2001