In my opinion, a business can begin by just one small idea to either make money or to make a change. The Red Light District in India can be thought of as a business, in some eyes. The Red Light District is a part of Kolkata where women sell their bodies in order to make a very small profit. Most of these women do not have a choice. Women who are either being kidnapped from a village outside of the city and forced into the sex trade or being born into a life of slavery continue the endless cycle of using their body for money. Yesterday, I was able to see a family whose one small idea for a business began to change the lives of 170 women who worked in the sex trade, called Free Set.
A couple named Kerry and Annie, who where originally from New Zealand, moved to India in 1999 and became distraught with the idea of women selling themselves for money. The awareness of this problem and their desire to make a change gave them the motivation to develop Free Set in 2001, where they gave women a choice to have a real job and make a living from producing shirts and bags, rather than using their bodies for money. The business has survived over ten years and has allowed the world to become more aware of the problems within the Red Light District.
Our group had the privilege of touring Free Set yesterday. We began the tour with the privilege of watching the owners and the workers in what they called Devotion. Devotion is a time of prayer where the women can pray to their own gods for safety for one another. It was an amazing experience to see all of the women together at one time supporting one another as they began a day of work that could bring them pride. After Devotion we were able to tour the Free Set Factory, which used to be an ice cream factory. It was a comforting feeling watching the owners working alongside the women they had hired, it allowed me to see that the owners were not just putting their money into the business rather they give their all to try and get these women out of the sex trade and to make their own money rather than relying on a man to give it to them.
While on the tour we were able to meet the first women hired by Free Set. Working with the company for more than ten years she goes around spreading the awareness of the sex trade, Free Set, and that there is a way for these women to make money rather than selling themselves. I believe that having a women who had experienced the same things as them and exposing her story has had a bigger impact on the women involved, than a foreigner telling them there is a way out. What she does is not an easy lifestyle. The women who work at Free Set are still living a dangerous lifestyle because they may have clients who may dislike there departure, which can lead to a variety of different consequences. It shows how these women take a risk by taking this job, but they are ending the cycle that continues to go in the sex trade and they are standing up for not only for themselves, but the women in the sex trade as well.
This tour allowed me to see how one small idea can change the lives of many and continue to flourish throughout time. It allows the world to see the ability one couple can make and the awareness they have spread around the world.
~Nicole Buckley
A couple named Kerry and Annie, who where originally from New Zealand, moved to India in 1999 and became distraught with the idea of women selling themselves for money. The awareness of this problem and their desire to make a change gave them the motivation to develop Free Set in 2001, where they gave women a choice to have a real job and make a living from producing shirts and bags, rather than using their bodies for money. The business has survived over ten years and has allowed the world to become more aware of the problems within the Red Light District.
Our group had the privilege of touring Free Set yesterday. We began the tour with the privilege of watching the owners and the workers in what they called Devotion. Devotion is a time of prayer where the women can pray to their own gods for safety for one another. It was an amazing experience to see all of the women together at one time supporting one another as they began a day of work that could bring them pride. After Devotion we were able to tour the Free Set Factory, which used to be an ice cream factory. It was a comforting feeling watching the owners working alongside the women they had hired, it allowed me to see that the owners were not just putting their money into the business rather they give their all to try and get these women out of the sex trade and to make their own money rather than relying on a man to give it to them.
While on the tour we were able to meet the first women hired by Free Set. Working with the company for more than ten years she goes around spreading the awareness of the sex trade, Free Set, and that there is a way for these women to make money rather than selling themselves. I believe that having a women who had experienced the same things as them and exposing her story has had a bigger impact on the women involved, than a foreigner telling them there is a way out. What she does is not an easy lifestyle. The women who work at Free Set are still living a dangerous lifestyle because they may have clients who may dislike there departure, which can lead to a variety of different consequences. It shows how these women take a risk by taking this job, but they are ending the cycle that continues to go in the sex trade and they are standing up for not only for themselves, but the women in the sex trade as well.
This tour allowed me to see how one small idea can change the lives of many and continue to flourish throughout time. It allows the world to see the ability one couple can make and the awareness they have spread around the world.
~Nicole Buckley
Oh I can feel the cold concrete floor of Free Set on this 90* day in Burlington and hear the sewing machine's crank and hum! So glad you all got to see it all in action, be a part of devotion and recognize the justice this company brings these 200+ families. Nicole-your last line says it all...awareness they created to spread around the world. Hope you all feel the empowerment of it all :)
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Meg Kerrigan
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