Escape Route

“This year,four from the centre appeared for HSC and all passed. Now they can choose a career and live a better life. Many children are in denial that their mothers are sex workers. Some of them want to rescue their mothers from the business,” said Priti Patkar,a member of Prerna,the NGO that has been running the centre since 1989.

It was started to protect children of sex workers and prevent them from being forced into sex trade and allied businesses. As of now,there are 220 children at the centre,aged between two and 18 years.

The NGO helps enrol students in schools and members keep a close watch on each student to monitor their progress and protect them.

NGO members said it had been observed that children were sent to run errands for customers of sex workers in the evenings and often subjected to sexual abuse.

“For years,we saw every girl child in the area ending up in flesh trade and boys landing up in allied businesses or starting to gamble. To ensure children do not fall prey to abuse or end up in the sex trade,we started the centre in Kamathipura,” said Patkar.

“These children do not like to be reminded that their mothers are sex workers. Keeping that in mind,we have to take care of them and monitor their studies,” added Patkar.

Their mothers are encouraged to drop the children at the centre in the morning. Initially,the centre started off as a shelter. It gives much-needed protection to children.

The civic body subsequently gave them a school. This helped the NGO push for enrolment of children in the school and ensure they got proper education and an opportunity to build a career.