This is Keka’s story.
“My name is Keka. I was born into a poor family with four sisters and one brother. My father was chowkider (night-guard) in our village. When I was 5 years old my mother sent me to Dhaka to earn money working as a house maid for a rich family. I worked there for 5 years, but they used to torture me physically and emotionally. I could not bear it anymore and with the help of neighbours I ran away. Because I was so young when I left home, I could not recall my own home address, so I found refuge in a stranger’s house. We went to the local police station and reported me missing. My father rescued me and brought me home.
After staying in our village for a month, my aunt took me to a brothel by telling a lie about the opportunity of a good job. I was ten years old. I was too young to handle customers in the brothel and for that my aunt used to beat me a lot. I still have scars on my left hand. When I grew up my aunt gave me a sex worker license. My mother knew about this work as she came into the brothel to get money from my aunt.
After 5 years one of my customers married me but he kept me in the brothel for another 6 months. Later, with the finical support of my father, we started living in a rented house outside the brothel.
My younger sister was also working in the brothel but after one year she returned home. Then my mother sent her to Dhaka to work as a housemaid but unfortunately, she disappeared and we have not been able to find her. We searched a lot but could not track her down. We do not have any pictures of her and this made it difficult to lodge her missing at the Police station. I miss her every day.
A friend told me about this place in Dhaka that helps women escape life in a brothel and supports them to find another way to live and earn money. One afternoon she took me there in secret and it was such a beautiful place.”
Our partners provide support and training for women who are at risk of being trafficked, are survivors of sexual trafficking or are street-based sex workers. They create a safe environment where women have the opportunity to heal, support one other and successfully integrate in society.
All women complete a 6-month rehabilitation and skills training program enabling them to know and understand themselves better, gain self-confidence and independence, experience emotional healing in a caring environment, receive an education and gain vocational skills, along with the opportunity for dignified employment and the ability to support themselves.
Our partners vision is to create a society where girls and women are empowered, valued, accepted and have confidence to contribute to their family, community and nation. They exist to create opportunities that equip and empower the people of Bangladesh to build lives free from exploitation.
“It is hard to teach traumatised women” our partners say. “The biggest challenge is to help women in our training program heal and integrate into mainstream society and find dignified employment. The vulnerability and traumatic damage runs so deep – it’s not easy to heal. We gradually earn their trust with love and special care, build community and ensure a healthy learning environment.”
Keka is so thankful for our partners. “The training I have received has taught me a lot. I got to know the world in a new way and my life is changing.
Before I did not know how to control my anger and tried to commit suicide twice. The values class has taught me how to manage my anger and that death is not a solution. I find the adult literacy class helps me understand more and make better decisions. I especially like the awareness class, where I’m learning about healthy eating habits and hygiene. I also had a lot of misconceptions about my period but since ‘hello period’ class, I am now much more aware and can teach others.
I am so thankful I found this place and have been given the opportunity to change my life. My future is so different.”