Whilst in Varanasi I spent some time at a womens detention centre. I got talking to a lady (Sohmer) that worked in the spa at the Surya Hotel, she had been working with an NGO organisation called D-Foundation - http://www.dfoundation.net/
D-Foundation is a Non Governmental Organisation located in Sarnath near Varanasi. It was created in 2006 by local and foreign social workers. Without any religious or political affiliations they help the people in need to become self-sufficient. Through training, education, counselling and direct support they are improving individual life conditions.
D-Foundation is currently involved in several projects - an academy where underprivileged children get educated, improving the living conditions of women and children hold in government centres, an organic farm, allowing training and employment of local farmers and sewing training centers in rural areas. In the name of Roter Lotus the D-Foundation provide medical care with free medicine.
My initial plan was to go and spend some time at a school in Varanasi that has opened the first autism centre. On our first day i set off with Sohmer and Sonal (Indian social worker), on our way there we got a call from someone at Jaitpura Centre for women to say that the DPO (District Probation Office) were paying a visit and could we head there.
Sohmer had talked a little about the Jaitpura Centre, the description the D-Foundation gives of this centre is - The Jaitpura Centre is a government run detention centre for women from the age of eighteen to elderly women. Jaitpura is located in the north of Varanasi city and holds approximately 80 women. The women there are not criminals but have been placed in a detention centre for reasons such as - being orphaned, getting caught after running away from home, being abandoned by their families as a result of culturally unacceptable circumstances such as love marriages, elopement, rape, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, or out-of-caste relationships.
In India, it is very difficult for women who have no family or have lost the support of their family. Unless they have sufficient means to support themselves, they are sent to permanent detention centres such as Jaitpura. They remain in detention until at least the age of 30 or until a suitable person is willing to take legal responsibility.
When we arrived at the centre i did not really know what to expect, as much as the above is true some of the women are in there for committing crimes, and this made me a little nervous. The security when you arrive at the centre seems good, you have to be let in and signed in. The centre is based around a big courtyard, with little concrete rooms running along the outside. There is capacity for 80 women but at the moment 135 are housed there along with 8 children.
The first task was to meet with the guy from the DPO, so we all sat around in the office waiting for his arrival. Also there was a French NGO organisation who are looking at offering some help to the centre. The main topic of conversation was around the food that the women receive, the government will only fund one bowl of rice a day for each woman. So the D-Foundation and the French NGO were trying to work out funding for additional nutrition. The discussion started with what types of food are cheap and high in nutrition, the following things were decided upon - dried fruit, paneer, milk and bread. At this point that the rep from the DPO said that additional nutrition every day was just not possible, as they did not have the staff to give it out to the women. Well this is total bollocks, there are at least 5 guards wandering around the courtyard as this is going on. What he really means is the staff cannot be trusted to give the women the food, they would just take it for themselves. So Sonal stepped forward and said that she would be the one to buy the food and distribute it (despite already having a workload that would make most western social workers pass out). Despite this the DPO rep would only agree to additional nutrition 3 days a week, so it was agreed Monday - dried fruit, Wednesday - Paneer, and Friday, i cant remember what was allowed on Friday. It was also agreed that within that funding would be some formula for the babies, as most of the women are not producing enough milk for their babies.
Whilst the meeting had been going on some of the women had been coming in and out of the office and were all very curious about me. We had been served Chai and biscuits and the DPO rep had been served a full meal which he turned his nose up at and sent away. I just couldn't eat the biscuits in front of the women, it felt awful as they are literally starving.
On the way to the centre Sonal had been telling me about two little girls who are in the centre with their mother they are 3 & 6. The D-foundation has been funding for them to go to school and just as the meeting was ending they arrived back, full of beans about an exam they had sat. They are just the cutest pair and pretty soon had dragged myself and Sonal out of the meeting to play outside.
It was the first real chance i had to get a proper look at the place, there is very little shade in the courtyard and there is also no drainage. So although the do have an outside shower the water just sits outside the rooms and it really smells. The rooms are literally like concrete cells, they have one long wooden platform where all the women sleep.
We then went and joined a group counselling session with some of the women, by this point there was Sonal and one other social worker present. The girls were all talking about their experiences that brought them to be in the centre. There were 10 girls in that room and all of them had been raped. A lady of about 50 then came into the room in tears, she sat down and was talking but she was crying at the same time, she seemed very very upset. Whilst this was going on there was a group of 3 girls around 20 years old sitting across the room and laughing at the women. I found this very difficult to understand, but later Sonal explained. The woman was talking about the rape that had led her to be there, the younger girls had been married at 12 and had been raped every day since then, they just could not understand what the older woman was getting so upset about. To them rape is a way of life, she said.
The vast majority of the woman in the centre have been victims of rape and then shunned by their families as a result. A few of them have committed crimes, like the 11 year old that tried to rob a bank. And the lady that was throwing stones at her buffalo, when one hit a child and killed them. Some of the ladies are there because they are victims of trafficking.
I was having some problems taking in all of this information, and we headed back to the office, as soon as we got there, there was shouting from across the courtyard. We rushed over to one of the rooms and there was a girl trying to hang herself with her scarf from the ceiling fan. When we got her down she was hysterical, kicking out and punching and making this awful wailing sound. She was laid on the bed and some of the other girls gathered round her trying to soothe her. We sat with her for about an hour, whilst some of the girls tried to get her to stop crying, then Sonal started talking to her. Once everything was calm we decided to leave for the day, on the way back in the car I asked Sonal what was wrong with the girl that tried to hang herself. She told me se ran away from an abusive father, whilst running away she was kidnapped by 4 men. They raped her and electrocuted her with metal cuffs around her wrists and ankles. She was found by two women naked and bloody on the side of a road, she was taken to the police who then brought her to the centre. Since revealing all of this to Sonal she is now refusing speak, only to say nothing happened to her and she wants to go home. Apparently this is normal, as she believes if she denies anything happened then her abusive family might just take her back. The men who did this to her have not been found, so effectively she is now serving their sentence for raping her.
By the time we left the centre, spirits seemed to be lifting. There was one girl in particular that had not left my side from the moment i arrived so we took some pictures before leaving. This woman (I am purposefully not using the women's names, as it makes me feel a little uneasy to do this) is one of the most beautiful Indian woman i have ever seen, she had a real presence and dignity about her, that the other woman didn't have.
On my return to the hot el it all came out in floods to Craig who was a shocked as i was. Then i decided to do some research into the rape rates in Northern India. Now before coming here I had known that it was massive problem and everyone knows about the Delhi case that's been going on. But i didn't quite realise what a massive problem it is, the below graphic was published recently and does a pretty good job of showing, what i cannot put into words (just bear in mind that this shows reported cases, and less then a 1/4 get reported)
I had mentioned to Craig a couple of times that men seemed to be looking at me in a decidedly creepy way, and we have been so much more aware since we came into North India. It is the only place on our entire journey that i have not felt safe going out alone. The looks I had been receiving (which I am now calling the "Rapey" look), had not only come from people on the street the police were the absolute worse. I really see now why woman do not report these crimes as I believe that many times the police are the perpetrators. Even more shocking i found was getting these looks from boys that looked no older than 11/12.
Just to show you the level of sexual and violent crime in Uttar Pradesh, these are the stories on the India TV news website. http://www.indiatvnews.com/crime/news/, these all happened in the space of three days. This is two pages worth, there are 260+ pages detailing crimes since the beginning of August. These are crimes that occurred over all of India, but if you look most of the sexual crimes are happening in Uttar Pradesh.
Two teenaged girls gang-raped at gunpoint in Bihar
Patna: Two teenage girls were gang-raped at gunpoint by five men Monday in Bihar's Vaishali district, police said.The crime occurred in a deserted field at Bidupur in Vaishali, about 40 km from the state capital."Two girls were gang-raped at gunpoint.
Delhi court acquits youth in rape case
New Delhi: A youth, accused of kidnapping and raping a minor after taking her to his native place in West Bengal, has been acquitted by a Delhi court which said the girl’s statement was "not truthful and trustworthy".
Varanasi girl's body exhumed after mother suspects rape
Varanasi: In a shocking incident that took place in Bhelupur on Monday, the dead body of a girl was exhumed from her grave after her mother filed a complaint of rape and murder with local police.
Odisha man killed by hitmen he hired to kill sister
Bhubaneswar: A man was allegedly killed in a Odisha town by four hitmen he had hired to kill his sister, police said Monday.The crime took place at Angul, 160 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar
Delhi gangrape: HC issues production warrant to death row convicts
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today issued production warrants for tomorrow to four death row convicts in the December 16 gangrape and murder case on the trial court's reference for confirmation of the capital punishment given to them.
Delhi woman saves girl from gangrape in Vasant Vihar, police arrives 50 min late
New Delhi: The stains of Delhi gangrape on the credibility of Delhi police are still fresh and once again Delhi Police has failed where a brave woman succeeded in preventing gangrape of girl in South Delhi's Vasant Vihar.
Babulal Nagar rape case: Three quizzed by CID
Jaipur: Rajasthan CID yesterday quizzed three persons employed at the official residence of former minister Babulal Nagar, who has been alleged of raping a 35-year-old woman.The state government, meanwhile, sent a letter to the Union Home Ministry recommending a CBI
Elderly man held for attempt to sexually assault two minors
New Delhi: A senior citizen was arrested for allegedly attempting to sexually assault two minors in Mangolpuri area of outer Delhi, police said today.Anant Ram, in his 70s, was arrested last evening for attempting to sexually assault the two minors
DRDO scientist booked for 'raping' wife
Raipur: A Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) scientist was yesterday booked for allegedly raping his wife."A case has been lodged case against Tapas Kumar Majudar, who is working with food research laboratory wing of DRDO, on the complaint lodged
Afghan student commits suicide
New Delhi: A 22-year-old Delhi University student, hailing from Afghanistan, allegedly committed suicide today by hanging himself from a ceiling fan inside his rented accommodation.The incident was reported from Model Town area in north Delhi around 11:30 am.
Delhi girl raped by colleague in Manesar hotel near Gurgaon, accused held
Gurgaon: The Gurgaon police on Sunday arrested a 28-year-old employee Sumit working in a Mehrauli-based private company on charge of raping his female colleague after an office party in a hotel in Manesar near Gurgaon.
Tribal girl allegedly raped by two men in Chattisgarh
Raipur: A minor tribal girl was allegedly raped by two men in Jashpur district of northern Chhattisgarh, police said today.The alleged incident took place a week ago, but the complaint was lodged only yesterday.
UP woman allegedly gangraped, abandoned
Darbhanga: A woman from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly gangraped by a truck driver and some other persons before being abandoned in a village in Bihar’s Darbhanga district today, police said.Locals found the woman lying unconscious in Bela village
Two 8-year old boys attempt to rape minor in AP
Guntur: In a shocking incident in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, two 8-year boys allegedly attempted to rape a 6-year old girl.According to reports, the two accused who were influenced by a sequence in a movie, first tied the victim
Asaram's aide Shilpi still absconding, police raids multiple places
Jodhpur: Self-styled godman Asaram’s special aide Shilpi is still absconding weeks after the spiritual guru's arrest. Her whereabouts are still unknown to the police. Jodhpur police has claimed that Shipli’s arrest would make things worse for jailed Asaram.
Mumbai Shakti Mills gangrape: second rape victim shares her ordeal with India TV
New Delhi: In an exclusive interview with India TV reporter Sandeep Choudhary, the rape victim shared her horrific story and told how the incident brought disgrace to her life. The victim reported her rape case after the photojournalist was gangraped
40-year old woman gangraped by 9 men in Mumbai
Mumbai: In another gangrape case in Mumbai, a 40-year woman was raped by 8-9 men in Mulund area of Mumbai.While the victim was asleep in a Tempo Traveler, an unidentified man carried her to a jungle near Sanjay Gandhi National
Man jumps into Yamuna in Delhi, family alleges negligence in rescue
New Delhi: A man last night ended his life by jumping into Yamuna river from a flyover in north-east Delhi. Vaibhav, a resident of Chandan Nagar area of Delhi was last night riding with his brother heading towards Gurudwara.On reaching
Cheating case against AIIMS deputy security chief
New Delhi: The CBI Saturday registered a case against All India Institute of Medical Sciences' deputy chief security officer and the managing director of a private company and others for alleged irregularities in the purchase of security equipment.
Man in Siliguri arrested for teen's rape, attempted murder
Siliguri: A man in his forties was arrested Saturday for allegedly trying to murder a teenage girl after kidnapping and raping her for nearly two months in West Bengal's Darjeeling district
Two get life sentence in 2010 Mangalore gangrape case
Mangalore: A local court today awarded life imprisonment to two persons for gangraping a minor girl at a railway station here in 2010.Fourth Additional District and Sessions Court judge B J Naik also imposed Rs 25,000 fine on each
Woman jumps to death with five children in Rajkot
Rajkot: A woman here committed suicide today along with her five children, including three daughters, by jumping into a well here, police said.Mukta Jaysukh Koli took the extreme step with her five children
Spurned lover shoots at girl in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad: A 22-year-old girl suffered injuries after she was allegedly shot at by a jilted lover following her refusal to accept his marriage proposal in Kavinagar area here.The girl, who sustained bullet injuries on her chest, was rushed to hospital
Assam college principal arrested on molestation charge
Tezpur: The principal of a college in Assam’s Lakhimpur district was arrested for allegedly molesting 10 girl students, police said today.The principal of ST Junior Anthony College, Roydas Milaphil was arrested by Laluk police last night after a complaint
Amity student hangs himself in Delhi
New Delhi: A 20-year-old student of business administration at Amity University in Noida committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan inside his house in the capital, police said here.Arun Kumar Lohia was found hanging in his house
NRI youth's murder case: court grants bail to two accused
New Delhi: A Delhi court today granted bail to two persons arrested in NRI youth Anmol Sarna’s murder case for allegedly helping his friends in procuring drugs consumed during a party on the night of September 17. Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak
Three persons arrested with intoxicant drugs in J&K
Jammu: Police today arrested three youths and allegedly seized a huge quantity of intoxicant drugs from them in different areas of Jammu and Kathua districts. Acting on a tip-off, police conducted a surprise check near Hari Singh Gharat area
Life sentence to 29-yr-old doctor who raped patient in ICU
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today confirmed the life sentence awarded to a 29-year-old doctor who was convicted for raping a patient in an Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital in neighbouring Thane this year.
Family of Indian missing in Oman gets ransom calls
Muscat: The family members of the Indian worker who went missing in Oman two days ago said they have received ransom calls from an unidentified person.Haneefa, who hails from the south Indian state of Kerala, reportedly went missing two days
One held for duping 71 BTech graduates in employment racket
Visakhapatnam: The police cybercrime investigation cell (CCIC) arrested a 31-year-old BA graduate here yesterday, for allegedly duping 71 BTech graduates from various parts in Andhra Pradesh over the internet, under the pretext of offering jobs in various companies.
Comestic help found hanging in M M Joshi's servant quarters
New Delhi: A domestic help, who worked at senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi's residence, was today found hanging in one of the servant quarters located in the leader's residential premises, police said.23-year-old Jivan Sanga, a native of Khodi district.
I know this makes for some really shocking reading, but i think it really important to show the level of the problem that exists here.
Two days later i decided to go back to the centre, deciding i could not go empty handed we stopped on the way to get 150 bananas and some apples for the children and pregnant woman. This in total cost me £4.50. When we arrived the looks on the woman's faces was incredible and despite thinking i would be scared surrounded by 135 woman, I wasn't. I stood on the middle of the courtyard and handed out the fruit to the woman and children and it was actually embarrassing how grateful they where.
Another one of the big problems with this centre is that they also house some woman who have mental health issues there. Although the staff refuse to care for them as they can be unpredictable and sometimes violent. In these cases the some of the other girls are paid a small wage to take care of the ladies personal needs. These woman do not have a diagnosis and are being locked up because there is nowhere else to put them.
One of the reasons there are so many woman here is that if their parents do not want them back, they doctor their birth certificate. So like in the case of the beautiful woman that attached herself to me, she is actually 22, but her birth certificate states that she is 15. So even if she had family to go to the centre will not release her until she is 18.
On the first day i had spent at the centre a lady had come to see us, she was 2 days away from giving birth and feeling very weak. I had asked if it was possible to provide her with some additional nutrition there and then, but this is India and just not possible for anything to happen straight away. Just before we left she came to say that baby had not moved for two days and she was concerned. The centre staff that she had been checked by the doctor 5 days ago and all was fine so she could not go to the hospital. I was very happy when i returned for my second visit to see her and her baby, despite the baby looking stick thin it was beautiful and perfect.
That afternoon was spent playing with the children, tag, hide and seek etc and hanging out with the women. As soon as the camera came out that was it, here are some of the picture that the women took that afternoon.
This whole experience was totally shocking, its all very well to hear about people surviving on one bowl of a rice a day on the news, but it is totally different when you see it. The claims are made that this is not a prison but the woman are treated like prisoners, they are not allowed out and they are beaten if the guards feel like it. I came on this trip with the intention of teaching some cute little kids to speak English, but this is not what they need. There are many local people in all of the countries we have been too who are more then capable of teaching English to the children. They will also work for a lot less than we will, and after talking to a lot of local people about this, it just does not seem right to take away a job that local person can be doing. I also feel that teaching English to foreign children has become a fashionable cause, and everyone wants to do it.
This is different, by some people these women are seen as untouchable, and there are very few Indian people like Sonal who are willing to work with these women. They truly need all the help they can get, so you know whats coming next.........
As much as i enjoyed spending time with the woman at the centre, i feel that more good can be done from home. This is what the D-foundation say on their website about funding for this centre -
Financial contributions are not the only way to support the D-Foundation. We also graciously accept all contributions both material and intellectual. For example, the D-Foundation would appreciate any material contributions such as text books, medical supplies, school equipment etc. . Furthermore, the D-Foundations would appreciate any assistance in the process of the grant writing, computer support and fund-raising assistance. The entire project can currently be funded for €750 per month. While €860 per month would allow us to hire more staff which we feel is necessary. We can also welcome sponsors to take on one of the above needs such as the provision of nutritional food which is currently lacking there and would require €120 per month. Finally the improvements we wish to make here vary from purchasing shelves and books to improve the library up to the arrangement of marriages. Donations are always needed and welcome.
So come on people dig deep, 120 Euros a month is nothing, and this I feel is the priority, getting more nutrition into these women. So be warned on my return there will be some fund raising going on, but as stated above not just money. So keep a hold of all those clothes and school books that you or your kids dont need anymore and lets get them sent out to Varanasi. I know there are always concerns that well meaning donations do not reach there destination, but I am in contact with Sonal the social worker. She is a truly inspirational woman, who only has the best interests if these woman at heart. All donations will go directly through her. The D-Foundation is doing great work and they really deserve more support!
I am not sorry if anyone has found this post upsetting or traumatising because thats exactly what it is. And if you where just remember you are only reading about what they are going through, just imagine for one second what it feels like for these woman............
