mumbai 2008 presentation
DESCRIPTION
Gender and Livelihoods Internship PresentationTRANSCRIPT
IFP Conference September 26, 2008Graduate Program in International Affairs
The New School UniversityMayuri Saxena
Narrowing an Internship FocusInterests Knowledge
Sex workersGender Based ViolenceUrban Poverty
Hindi LanguageIndian Customs and
Culture
Committee for Resource Organization (CORO) for Literacy•Created in 1980s •Originally mission was to close literacy gap in Chembur and Govandi slums in Northeast Mumbai•Today, CORO addresses a multitude of social problems
Sex WorkersCORO runs a confidential project aiding
primarily home based sex workers of the Chembur -Govandi area
Project’s goal is not to stop sex work, but to ensure women are not denied basic rights; to create a forum for healthy discussion and support; and to provide emotional support
Basic RightsSex and Health
Education
Medical Care
Legal Education
ServicesSex and health education sessions
Condom usageHIV/AIDSOther transmittable diseases, sexual and non sexual
Project Doctor On siteMonthly community visitsRegular STD, Blood testing
Free medicinesPolice visitsLegal training Counseling
The Process of Enlisting Sex WorkersSex workers initially
hesitate to join the project
Promise of free medicine
MeetingsTraining and
CounselingPeer enlisting
CORO ProjectInterview 10 sex workers about:
Their perspectives on gender and sexualityLife HistoryFamilyDifficultiesDreams and aspirationsSelf Esteem
Goal: to find similarities and differences between the women’s lives, perspectives, and problems; information to be used by CORO to create Leadership Training Modules
QuestionnaireBackground and FamilyGenderSexualityHealth Socioeconomic StatusProject InvolvementSelf Perception and Expectations
Sample of QuestionsWhat is your role as a woman in the household?What do you think the role of your husband is/should be?When was your first sexual experience (in your life)?Did/do you associate love with physical sex?How often do you work?How many partners have you had so far (approximately)?Has anyone ever abused you emotionally? Physically? If
yes, by whom?Have you ever been depressed? What do you do when you
are depressed?Have you ever hurt yourself?
More Sample QuestionsHave you ever been raped? By whom?Do you get STD testing? How often?Do you use contraceptives? If yes, which one?Do you not use contraceptives if the client
pays moreWhat do you think the community thinks about
you? About sex workers? What do you think about the police? According
to you, what is their perception of sex workers?
ChallengesHesitationTranslationValidity
ResultsMajority low self esteemNo common family
historyEducation levels mixed
from no education – 12th grade
All women became sex workers after marriage and kids, primarily for financial reasons
Majority in early 20s
Women sold by family members
Broken trustHusbands abandoning
wife and children or don’t work b/c alcohol or no job
Most women abused by husbands, regular partners, &/or customers
Results cont’dFew women cutting or
burning themselvesRape cases by
customers and familyLack of family support
during financial crisisLarge expenses
include monthly groceries, electricity and water bills
All educated on condom usage and STD testing
Some didn’t know about condoms before project
1 HIV+ sex worker– found out because of project’s STD testing
After project initiation, all refuse sex work if customer refuses to wear condom
Due to the confidentiality of the project, none of the photos displayed are from the actual project or of the actual constituents
Photo Links 1.
http://www.basesciences.com/UserFiles/2007/7/14/malaria_special.jpg 2. http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/dawessner/ribbon.jpg 3.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_GmJklP8OGyo/Ro8mnN8niuI/AAAAAAAABNA/754TJpg2gBY/Condon.JPG&imgrefurl=http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JohneJpTHxpu1JM2MumTqw&h=2200&w=1475&sz=12&hl=en&start=14&um=1&usg=__I5Auhw_uMs8Xqp7TrotuAh0A-Vk=&tbnid=MdKZTD0UDJ6YBM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dindian%2Bsex%2Bworkers%26gbv%3D2%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26ie%3DUTF-8
4. http://www.biharpolice.info/images/indian_police.jpg 5. http://mumbaidailysnapshot.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html 6. http://flickr.com/photos/giselaglb/2319275296/