Driving instructor Mustafa Rahi, 33, is at Delhi's Kamla Market police station every afternoon. He didn't attend the case or serve as a witness; his mission was different. Mustafa trains 30 women in a small room inside the station. Held three times a day, the course lasts three months.
To give them driving lessons, he used several cars parked in a nearby field. His students include women from the GB Road area, known for housing many of Delhi's commercial sex workers.
The same goes for Pinki Kumari Meena, 28, an assistant professor of political science at Delhi University, who also volunteered for the campaign.
Fashion design schools, beauty salons, driving training centres, sewing classes, health clinics and children's hostels – this is how the RSS promotes its propaganda to sex workers, many of whom are allegedly converted by “their Muslim handlers” .The goal is to bring them back to the “mainstream.”
Sewa Bharti has launched several such initiatives to empower sex workers and their children. Senior RSS members said the schemes were being run with the support of Delhi Police.
“Aparajita” to “Saxham”
Three years ago, in 2021, Sewa Bharti opened a hostel for the children of sex workers in South Delhi. They named the hotel “Aparajita”. There are now 20 girls, ranging in age from 5 to 18 years old. They go to school and occasionally see their mothers during holidays or celebrations.
The initiatives, named 'Aparajita' (children's hostel), 'Saksham' (driving and sewing centre), 'Sopan' (fashion design school and beauty salon) and 'Utkarsh' (health clinic), are part of a larger plan Sewa Bharti has started to reach out to sex workers living in and around Delhi's GB Highway area.
“We are trying to bring them and their children back to the mainstream. We are trying to provide them with basic facilities like health and education that they do not have access to. We are also trying to create the means for them to survive and feel empowered.
These projects are mainly overseen by three senior professionals – Sabita Narang, senior professional at foreign embassies; Sangeeta Tyagi, senior gynecologist; and advocate Vandana Vats. This free clinic and medical store is run by Sewa Bharti in partnership with the National Medico Organization, an RSS-affiliated organization for medical and health professionals.
“Politeness” and “Barbari”
Behind the Manila Police Chowki on GB Road, Sewa Bharti runs “Baal Bari,” or tutoring classes for children. Additionally, a living room and fashion design school is run by three dedicated professionals who left private sector jobs to join this initiative.
Two young women, Mohita and Navneet, and a young professional, Atul, both quit their jobs to contribute to these efforts. They provide training in batches, imparting valuable skills and knowledge to those in need.
“We often visit hostels on GB Road and convince them (sex workers) to send their children to training centres. We encourage them to join and learn. Some of them have joined and some are still resisting. It is difficult for them , but we will continue to work hard,” Mohita said.
Break the “cycle”
According to a survey conducted by the organization in 2021, there are approximately 2,830 sex workers in the region, who, according to the organization, are trafficked by “operators” or trafficked from several states to Delhi's red-light districts.
“Most of these women are Hindus who were converted by Muslim operators. They do not allow their children to be removed from the ecosystem. They groom girls so that they can be prostituted and boys become pimps like them. It is a vicious cycle, ” said a senior official at the organization who works directly with them and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“We want to break this vicious cycle. We want them to join the mainstream and not keep them in an isolated bubble. That’s why we don’t have restricted training centers or clinics specifically for the community. They are open to everyone. Valmiki (Dalit) Samaj members have also been working with us and participating in these programmes,” he added.
Another senior RSS official added that the Delhi Police and some senior officials have been supporting such initiatives and helping them carry out activities in the area. 1996-batch IPS officer (AGMUT cadre) Alok Kumar said Sewa Bharti came up with these suggestions when she was the joint commissioner of Delhi Police.
“I like the idea. I also want children to be able to come out of this ecosystem, get proper education and be empowered. They start from the children's dormitories,” Kumar told News18.
