Laila Khondkar1*, Khaleda Akhter 2 and Flora Jesmeen Deepa3
ABSTRACT
Sex workers in Bangladesh are deprived of their basic rights and face abuse and violence in their daily life. The children living inside the brothels are the worst sufferers. They are exposed to early sexuality,subject to physical, psychological abuse and maltreatment. Sex workers and their children face stigma and discrimination in the community. Children of sex workers usually do not have access to health and education; they are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Daughters of sex workers are at risk of getting involved in sex work from very early stage of life. Save the Children worked on the protection of the children (especially girls) ofsex workers in Daulatdia brothel and implemented Safe Home (institutional care since 1997) and Aparajito (community-based project since 2012). Safe Home started by providing residential care support to daughters of sex workers, but over the years the objective has been evolved to identify community-based care solutions for those children. The project focused on ensuring that the girls are protected, and contributed to their empowerment to build a better future for themselves and their families. Major interventions of Safe Home included providing accommodation, food, medical and basic care support to girls staying there, creating opportunities for sports and cultural activities, arranging psychosocial counselling for the girls, preparing personal education plan, including accessto basic and vocational education, capacity building of the girls through trainings, workshops and awareness sessions on child rights and child protection, reintegration of the girls with families/communities following assessment and developing a case management plan, providing family counselling to mothers and other family members, home visits to ensure a safe and smooth transitioning into families and communities and identifying job placements and livelihood optionsto support them in reintegration. Through Aparajito, sex workers were sensitised on the importance of education of their children, and were empowered to claim rights. Advocacy with community-based groups and local administration helped in creating a protective environment, and there have been attitudinal changes regarding children ofsex workers in general. A total of 120 girls received support from Safe Home since the beginning.Among them, 79 girls have been reintegrated with families/communitiesthrough education and marriage, 29 girls have been reintegrated through higher education and job, and 12 girls are in direct care services of Safe Home (will be reintegrated by 2018). 14 Girls are continuing higher education in different universities and attending job placements simultaneously; 35 girls have completed School Secondary Certificate; among them, 21 girls completed Higher Secondary Certificate; 23 girls received vocational training, and among them, 18 girls are in jobs. Long-term support to continue education followed by linkage with employment opportunities proved to be critical in reintegration of girls living in Safe Home. Motivation of mothers about alternative
1Director, 2Senior Manager, 3Manager, Child Protection, Save the Children, Dhaka, Bangladesh *Corresponding author email id: laila.khondkar@savethechildren.org
Family and Community Reintegration of Children of Sex Workers Living in Institutional Care in Bangladesh livelihood options for their daughters helped in bringing the change. Community sensitisation activities contributed to the successful reintegration of the children in the mainstream society. At present, Save the Children and partner NGOs are implementing a programme involving child protection, education and health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS interventionsin three brothels including Daulatdia.
Keywords: Safe Home, Alternative care, Reintegration, Community-based interventions, Protection
