ANOTHER ME TRANSFORMATIONS FROM PAIN TO POWER

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ACHINTO BHADRA

THE PROJECT TRANSFORMATIONS THE STORIES

The girls and women in these A studio was set up in a training hall in 126 portraits were made by the photographs are survivors of trafficking, ‘Sneha’, a shelter on the outskirts of photographer and 126 personal histories rape or abandonment, or are the children Kolkata housing about 90 girls and were shared during sessions with the of sex workers. They have been in the women. Shawls, jewellery, leaves, antique counsellor. The girls and women gave care of Sanlaap, a non-governmental saris and cooking pots were brought to their images and stories gladly, often organization based in Kolkata, India. the shelter. Behind the studio, the with a forceful request to ‘tell the world.’ dressing rooms rang with excitement, Another Me began as a simple quarrelling and laughter as the girls and These are not stories of trafficking and documentary project, intending to record women dressed each other, made up . These are stories of the stories of trafficked and abused each other’s faces, and waited for their vulnerability. They record how a young women and children, and to illustrate turn to be photographed. girl’s fragile web of protection is torn their stories with portraits that by domestic violence, the loss of a protected their identities. Over time, The photography sessions were parent or an early marriage, resulting through the communal inspiration of the conducted in silence, except for the in her descent into an extremely photographer, the counsellor and the voice of the photographer. Each stood vulnerable situation – from which the girls and women, the photography project quietly under the lights, gently guided trafficker easily harvests her. evolved into a therapeutic activity. by the photographer. For perhaps the first time in her life, each was the centre Their stories don’t dwell upon their In individual counselling sessions, the of warm attention: costumed, beautified, lives in the . Most didn’t want girls and women narrated their personal hallowed for what she wanted to be. to talk about it. They wanted to tell histories, the stories that they wanted how they came to it and what it did to the world to hear. Following this, they As she stood before the camera in the them. These are stories of resiliency were guided to imagine themselves as silent studio, each girl and woman and of collapse. Some of the girls and empowered beings – human, animistic transformed. The aggressive ones women in the care of Sanlaap have and divine beings of power, love, revenge quieted down, the depressed raised incredible power, struggling, pushing and freedom. And finally, in costume and their heads, tears of release flowed. For against a society that has exploited makeup, before the camera, each a moment, each felt the power within them. Others are unresponsive, mute, transformed into ‘another me’ – a herself. And today, many months later, severely damaged by the brothel healing, strengthening experience that that brief transformation remains an experience. All wanted to tell their has had a lasting impact on every girl inner source of confidence and strength stories. and woman. for the girls and women in Sanlaap’s care. THE COUNSELLOR THE CAREGIVERS THE PHOTOGRAPHER Harleen Walia is a counsellor, trainer Sanlaap works against the trafficking of and specialist in child protection. She women and children for commercial Achinto Bhadra studied photography at was coordinator of Sanlaap’s sexual exploitation. The organization Chitra Bani, Kolkata, and at the London psychosocial rehabilitation and child operates 4 shelter homes, a child College of Printing as a recipient of the protection programmes, and has protection programme for the children Charles Wallace Scholarship. As an conducted trainings throughout India of the red light areas of Kolkata, and a independent documentary for 11 years in gender, trafficking, child trafficking prevention programme in 9 photographer, he has spent years and similar issues. districts of West Bengal. photographing the urban poor and marginalized children and women for Terre des hommes Foundation national and international development (Lausanne, Switzerland) has supported agencies. this project through its office in Kathmandu, Nepal. Throughout the world, Terre des hommes supports community-based activities in maternal and child health, children’s rights, child protection and anti-trafficking. A SHELTERING TREE THE SNAKE GODDESS DURGA THE POWERFUL

‘Because … so many times I ‘Because … Ma Mansha the snake ‘Because … I want to inspire needed a refuge, but there goddess is full of anger and hate. others and give them power and wasn’t one. I want to give the I will use my weapons to hunt strength.’ shelter of a flowering tree to any down and kill all those who have girl who needs it.’ hurt me so much.’

When I was very young, my parents died. I was raised in a large poor family in the My father used to love me a lot. I was sent to live with a cousin who was state of Orissa. My mother forced me to I remember him bringing me fruit. He a prostitute in the red light marry my uncle, a horrible man, much older brought me grapes and apples. One day area of Kolkata. One day, when I was 11, than I. The other villagers warned her about my father died and my mother sent me she took me to a brothel, left me there him, but she didn’t listen. He had another to this home. and never returned. I was locked in the wife, his sister-in-law, and had three children brothel for 3 years. I used to cry and beg by her. I think this wife did black magic on My aunts lit my father’s pyre and said, for release but they wouldn’t let me go. him, because he stopped talking to me and ‘Now he has become a crow.’ I can’t forget Why should they understand my pain? refused to eat the food I cooked. They beat that day. A spirit visits me and says my If they did, no girl would ever be sold. me a lot. Finally, the village elders scolded father is still alive. It calls me to meet him, my husband and he ran away, leaving me saying “Come here, come here...” This has Some of the customers were kind. They alone. happened more than once. I dream of my listened to me, then told me to lie that father every night and I feel like crying or we’d had sex, and left me money without I returned to my parents’ house but it wasn’t shouting in fear. touching me. Finally, one boy spread the a good situation. I’d been married, I was word in Sonagachi that I was very young supposed to be living with my husband, and I went to Mumbai once. The women were and was kept locked in a room. The local all the village talked. After some time, a standing along the street like they do in gang intervened with my madam because relative from a neighbouring village promised the area where my mother lives. We were they were afraid of the police. I was shifted to find a job for me and my sister in another not there for very long. My mother went to another brothel. I felt safer, though I state. there to do some work. I don’t know what didn’t know that I was sick inside. kind of work she does. I guess I was lucky. Soon after I was sold, a A few days later, the police rescued me. The police were cruel. They asked me boy from Orissa came to the brothel. I told The older girls in this home want me to such bad questions and kept saying that him my story, he informed the police and become like them. They want me to talk I would be punished. I was so frightened, they rescued me. That was 4 years ago. I’ve like them, behave like them, and love them and I kept asking them what I had done been here in this shelter since, waiting for in the way that they want to be loved. wrong. I was put into jail with my madam. my relative to be prosecuted. I feel very scared. I know this isn’t right. She beat me and threatened to kill me. I don’t want to do those things. When the Soon, though, I was shifted to this home. What will I do in the future? I love children, older girls force me to learn bad things I love cooking, but I refuse to be a housewife. I run away and cry. It’s difficult here because I want to forget I won’t sit in a house while my parents that time, and I’m not allowed to do so. starve. I can’t go back to the village. I certainly I am 8 now. I just want to study and be a People keep asking me questions. When won’t go back to that horrible man. Do I good girl. I want to help my mother. the other girls get angry, they rake up the have any options? I don’t think so. I’ve got past. I’ve learned a lot here, but I can’t sit to earn money. I’ll be forced to go back to in group counselling sessions because prostitution, and then you’ll say I made a there is always talk of our past. I can’t ‘choice’. What choice do I have? Tell me. listen to any story that’s like mine because I feel so angry. Tell me what to do and I’ll it hurts too much. I see a dream of a girl do it. Find me a job. Trust me, and I won’t in a village who is continuously being let you down. After all, I sent my trafficker raped and she is screaming in pain. I wish to prison for 8 years, didn’t I? So what can I could stop seeing this dream. I do now?