Working in small-town India these
past six months, I’ve been thinking a lot about empowerment. What does it mean
for someone be empowered? At what point has a woman reached “empowerment”?
Working for an NGO that focuses on sex workers’ rights these past six months,
I’ve realized that the idea of empowerment is much more complex than I
originally thought.
Growing up,
I received some of the best educational opportunities the U.S. has to offer.
Since graduating, I have chosen a career path that was my choice completely.
And when I decide to marry, if ever, that will be completely my choice as well.
All of these choices are standard markings of an “empowered woman” in the 21st
century.
Now, let’s
take the stereotypical notions of sex workers—poorly educated; whores of
society; passive victims of male aggression. None of these descriptions correlate
with the idea of being an empowered woman. However, through working with a collective
of sex workers called VAMP and living in this town of Sangli, I’ve learned that
the story is much more complicated. The women of VAMP are strong; they are
brave; they are fighters. They stand together and shout out “sex work is work!”
during team building type exercises. They often times did come from pasts
marked by few educational opportunities and poverty, yet they are striving for
a better livelihood for themselves and their families. In the U.S., we pride
ourselves on being a country where the “American dream” is attainable for all—the
idea that through hard work, you can raise your socioeconomic status. Sex
workers are fighting for this exact idea of working hard to improve their lives
and move up in a hierarchical society.
To be fair,
I’m not trying to idealize sex workers’ lives and conditions in any way. Sex
workers are one of the most stigmatized and abused groups in Indian society,
having to bear the brunt of police violence, condemnation, and a lack of access
to education, health care, and government benefits. But through
collectivization, they are more adequately able to fight against these abuses
and for the human rights they deserve.
It’s commonly thought that these
women were forced to be doing sex work and are helpless, when in fact according
to the PAN India Survey on Sex Workers, 73% of female sex workers entered this
work on their own. They are able to make their own income, support themselves,
send their children to school, pay their bills, and sometimes afford extra
luxuries such as gold earrings or silver bracelets.
When I talk about my work with
friends and family in the U.S., they are often confused with the idea of my NGO
working to improve sex workers’ current situations, as opposed to saving them from their work. It is more
morally acceptable to be “helping” sex workers by “freeing” them from their
horrific experiences, and encouraging them to take up jobs in other sectors of
society. As I tell them, though, many of these women do not want to change their careers. They’ve
worked before as maids, as daily wage earners, tailors, and cooks; but in these
jobs, they were often sexually or physically abused, or paid below a living
wage. Society tells us that we can “empower” these women by saving them from
this work, whereas I’ve learned empowerment is helping improve the conditions
of sex work, making it safer and allowing sex workers to be free from abuse and
eligible for government benefits like any other Indian citizen.
A main focus of my career goal
includes women’s empowerment. As I’m learning, though, there is no one
definition of empowerment. I consider myself, as being educated, working, and
free from abuse, an empowered woman. Yet I now also consider a sex worker who
is working for a fair wage, living in safe conditions, supporting her family
and building a life for herself, as also being empowered. It’s through efforts on
the part of collectives like VAMP and NGOs like SANGRAM that strive to make
this a reality, and I’m lucky to get to be a part of it.
what a lovey expression of your experience of being part of SANGRAM and VAMP! I agree with you completely when you say that empowerment lies within and it is upon us to bring it out to the fore and challenge the long standing stereotypes of the society which is structured around patriarchy and which considers women as helpless and voiceless victim of the violence,abuse and stigma on the pretext of being weak!
ReplyDeletewhen i hear stories of my sisters in sex work as to how they challenge the bureaucracy, i see empowerment, when they tell me that they do not take client without a condom, i see empowerment, when they say that they set the rules of sexual services they would offer, i see empowerment.This also makes me think if i am as empowered as my sisters and negotiate such agencies to my advantage although i have got the best from life! i am confused, i am thoughtless!
Thanks for your feedback, and I'm glad it's shed new light on how you view empowerment! Sounds like your sisters in sex work have a lot to be admired for :)
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