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This is the story of Munni, a commercial and beautiful sex employee from Sonagachi, the most important city district in Kolkata, India. Sonagachi, translated as Golden Tree, has many hundred multi-story brothels in-built the winding lanes and is home to some 13,000 sex staff. The place got globally celebrated once associate American motion-picture show, 'Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red light Kids' won the award for Documentary Feature in 2004.
UNODC interviewed Munni, sixteen years previous, who shares however she was trafficked, created her escape, came back to the brothels and the way the economy of her trade works.
UNODC: are you able to tell the US however you came to be here at such a young age?
Munni: All I keep in mind is I'm from Bangladesh and that I came here after I was 10 years recent. I tell people I'm a Hindu which my name is Munni. I'm sixteen currently however I tell people I'm twenty years recent. I even have been here for 5 years and this is often my home. I even have no family. 'Ma' (the woman pimp) is my family. She takes care of ME, feeds me, even offers ME cash to shop for saris (dresses) for Durga Puja. however, she means that business and that I have to be compelled to work. after I was very little, a person came to my house and aforesaid he can keep ME during a palace which I'll marry an aristocrat, however, I even have to try and do as he says. He brought ME to Kolkata and left ME here at one in every of the dirtiest brothels promising to come however never showed up.
the largest brothel in the world is sonagachi
UNODC: Were you treated well within the 1st brothel?
Munni: The brothel was owned by a fat lady and that we are known as her 'aunty' in Bengali. First, she bathed and fed me. I used to be given a bed to sleep and clean garments. I felt happy to be among kind individuals. Then on the third day, she places makeup on my face and created me stand together with the twenty different ladies, for the lads to choose their alternative. At first, I didn't perceive what was happening and thought we might be elite to travel to a replacement home. after I understood what was happening I attempted to flee. I used to be caught, barred in an exceedingly dark area for per week and overwhelmed with a thick picket stick. They created positive to not hit on my face, chest, thigh, and abdomen as customers wouldn't choose me.
One night aunt was drunk and sleeping and her brother was in another brothel. I ran away as quick as I might. I saw a police officer on the road and told him my story. He secures to assist me. He and his 3 friends raped me. I came back to Sonagachi and located a replacement aunt.
UNODC: what number and what kind of purchasers visit in a day and how does the business work?
Munni: in this brothel, there are twenty to twenty-four ladies and ten rooms. Not all ladies work for aunt. Some come back here to chit-chat because the business is incredibly slow recently. Some work for on their own and have rented rooms in Sonagachi for Rs. 5000 a month. Before 2 years, in total, we'd get around fifteen customers daily. In peak time I might get 3-4 customers daily. My earlier rates were Rs. one thousand to 1500 an hour. a number of the high-class ladies would earlier charge Rs. 6000 to 6500. currently, we work on the fixed-rate system for all for Rs. five hundred per client for one hour. fifty % of the money attained from every client goes to aunt. The client has got to on an individual basis pay twenty-five % additional to her as a service fee. primarily schoolboys, lawyers, married men, some foreigners, restaurant house owners, and taxi drivers come back. every now and then the police raid the brothels however aunt slips them some cash and offers her best ladies to them. The business resumes once more.
Since business is slow recently, we parade the streets from eleven am forwards. Competition is high, as virtually a day 'dalals' (traffickers) get five to ten ladies as young as seven years recent. The brothels are filling up and that we are forced to maneuver elsewhere in search of business.
UNODC: are a number of the customers' drug users?
Munni: quite a few are drug users. they're sometimes addicted to phytotoxin and opiate. they're typically sluggish when they return to the brothel and might hardly speak. They force you to do drugs with them moreover. One forcefully created me swallow and that I fell sick losing plenty of business that day. I had to distribute the loss. they typically conform to use condoms however cannot as they realize it troublesome attributable to the drugs.
UNODC: do not you wish to leave Sonagachi sometime and realize an honest job?
Munni: 'Ma' can never let me go and she is nice to me and this is often my home. She has secure to send me to Mumbai sometime. I'm here of my very own will. even if I leave this place wherever can I go? The society can continuously label me as a prostitute. I'm frightened where I'll use, {the men|the lads|the boys} can rape me. even if I marry a blue blood tomorrow and wear costly saris (dresses) and sit in a very huge automobile, individuals can still suppose I'm a sex worker. I cannot an amendment that. I wished to become a nurse and lookout of individuals. I even have a secret lover and his wont to be one amongst my regular customers. he's a taxi driver and that we square measure going to marry. I'll confirm my girl is rarely born into a brothel, is educated and lives her dream.
