[ Chandni Gri ] I can't remember a thing.
[ Chandni Gri ] Nothing at all.
[ Chandni Gri ] I didn't understand what they did to me.
[ Chandni Gri ] When I came round they gave me drugs.
[ Chandni Gri ] When I turned 16, I cried a lot.
[ Chandni Gri ] They wanted me to dance, but I couldn't.
[ Chandni Gri ] I didn't know how to do it.
[ Chandni Gri ] Then they beat me.
[ Chandni Gri ] One girl said, 'There's no use crying.
[ Chandni Gri ] You'll never get help unless you leave.'
[ Chandni Gri ] I woke up thinking there's no point in living.
[ Chandni Gri ] If I died, at least I'd be free of this prison.
[ Little girl reading a book ] Munni was offended, we'll try to persuade her.
[ Little girl ] The sky is very blue,
the sunflower is very yellow.
[ Little girl ] A girl looks at a red rose.
[ Little girl ] Rainclouds are very black.
[ Little girl ] All the colours are very beautiful.
[ Little girl ] They're all different and loved.
[ Shabir ] Good clients come to see me.
[ Shabir ] The people who come here are very good.
[ Shabir ] First, we negotiate the price and other conditions.
[ Shabir ] They give me a certain advance payment and I get to work.
[ Shabir ] They want their parents' portraits to pray in front of at home.
[ Shabir ] They're framed and used to remember their parents.
[ Shabir ] It's not like how it used to be.
[ Shabir ] There was a time when we were very poor.
[ Shabir ] If we had one meal a day,
we couldn't afford a second.
[ Shabir ] That's why, deep down,
[ Shabir ] I've always felt upset.
[ Shabir ] I've always thought that if God had made me an adult much earlier,
we would have left long ago,
and Mum wouldn't have had to show her 'art'.
[ Shabir ] My mother's performances were really great.
[ Shabir ] When she was dancing or singing, nobody would look at anyone else.
[ Shabir ] Come in, come in. Have a seat here.
Graphics This street is known among Muzaffarpur residents as the red-light district. The primary occupation for women who live here is singing and dancing. But not just that… [ RinkiKatun ] 00:03:16:00 Come in, come in. [ Rinki ] Have a seat here.
[ Rinki ] No one will film you.
[ Rinki ] We understand you're married. [ Rinki ] Come and have a seat.
[ Rinki ] This is my daughter-in-law.
[ Rinki ] My name is Rinki. I was born here.
[ Rinki ] My grandfather's sister used to dance.
[ Rinki Katun 29 years ] Then my mother came, and after her
we all moved here, due to our circumstances.
[ Rinki ] I've been doing this since I was 8.
[ Rinki ] I loved to dance and sing, so I've been performing since then.
[ Rinki ] We came to this district when I was 14 or 15 years old.
[ Rinki ] They come in and ask if there'll be a show.
[ Rinki ] We say, 'Yes, come in, have a seat.'
[ Rinki ] We serve them refreshments.
[ Rinki ] If they want to watch a dance, we call the musicians in.
[ Rinki ] Then the girls come.
[ Rinki ] If there are a couple of performers,
they'll watch the one they like.
[ Rinki ] Right now the performers are in make-up and waiting for clients.
[ Rinki ] This district is known as the city's red-light district.
[ Rinki ] Everyone knows lots of young women are ready to dance and sing. [ Kamleshwar Prasad Singh police inspector ]
It's a place with many traditions,
which date back even to colonial times.
[ Kamleshwar Prasad ] Even back then, people went there to watch the shows.
[ Kamleshwar Prasad ] If it's only singing and dancing, there's no problem.
[ Kamleshwar Prasad ] There are good people here, who just sing and dance, but there are also some bad people.
[ Kamleshwar Prasad ] They run dirty businesses like
prostitution and people trafficking.
[ Reshma Chand ] My name is Reshma Chand.
[ Reshma Chand ] I was born, raised and educated here.
[ Reshma Chand ] I'm a businesswoman.
[ Reshma Chand ] I own 2-3 businesses and 4-5 rental properties.
[ Reshma Chand ] The income easily covers my spending and sustenance,
so I use some of it to help others.
[ Reshma Chand ] As I live here, I know the locals well.
[ Reshma Chand ] I hear about their pain and problems,
which means I become involved.
[ Reshma Chand ] That's why I am best placed to do something for them.
[ Reshma Chand ] Is Nadjma there?
[ Reshma Chand ] Munni-bhai dji!
[ Reshma Chand ] Aleikum assalam!
[ Reshma Chand ] Is anyone there?
[ Reshma Chand ] Is Nadjma here? [ Reshma Chand ] Call her.
[ Reshma Chand ] She should come.
[ Reshma Chand ] Just for two minutes.
[ Reshma Chand ] Nadjma!
[ Reshma Chand ] Come here!
[ Reshma Chand ] If you want to cry, come here.
[ Reshma Chand ] Put your head on my shoulder and cry.
[ Reshma Chand ] Is your heart beating fast? Are you afraid?
[ Reshma Chand ] Listen, when they left you in this hell,
didn't your heart tremble?
[ Reshma Chand ] Are you in trouble now?
[ Reshma Chand ] Were you scared in that nightmare?
[ Reshma Chand ] Do you remember giving birth to your child so young?
[ Reshma Chand ] Didn't your heart tremble then?
[ Reshma Chand ] You have brothers, sisters, and a child of your own.
[ Reshma Chand ] Do you want to give your child an education?
[ Reshma Chand ] Do you earn enough to do that?
[ Nadjma ] I spend everything [ Nadjma ] I earn taking care of everyone.
[ Reshma Chand ] First of all, I have a mother, 4 sisters and 2 brothers.
[ Nadjma ] I also have 3 children,
a son who isn't here now, and my sister's son.
[ Nadjma ] My dad was in a bad way.
[ Nadjma ] There was no one at home.
[ Nadjma ] Mum did side jobs.
[ Nadjma ] She had no time to do all the necessary chores.
[ Nadjma ] Dad had untreatable asthma.
[ Nadjma ] I was 13 when he died.
[ Nadjma ] We've been doing this job ever since.
[ Nadjma ] A friend promised we'd be paid
if we danced.
[ Nadjma 18 years ] As we were desperate for money,
we started dancing and singing.
[ Reshma Chand ] We live on Shukul Road, a 'professional street'.
[ Reshma Chand ] You find many prostitutes here.
[ Reshma Chand ] They end up here for many reasons.
[ Reshma Chand ] Some have been sold and forced into it,
others are locals who inherited the trade from their mothers.
[ Reshma Chand ] They all have one thing in common:
they do it because they're in need.
Graphics 70 km away from Muzaffarpur A shelter for women victims of sexual violence
[ Girls singing ] My boat is spinning like a bee. [ Girls singing ] Why are you swimming so deep?
[ Girls singing ] You're the only one in my life. [ Girls singing ] What did I do wrong?
[ Girls singing ] Why are you rejecting me? [ Girls singing ] Life or death, oh, mother!
It's bad to cause people pain.
[ Girls ] Let's sing together.
[ Girls ] Ok. Who's next?
[ Girls ] - It's your turn! [ Girls ] - No, not me.
[ Girls ] Yes, it is. Sing something short.
[ Babita Shrivasta Training officer short stay home’shelter ] Women stay here for a minimum of 3 months.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] We provide food, board and other necessary provisions.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] The women who come here suffer from family problems.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] We also protect victims of domestic violence.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] Here they are safe.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] These women have been through a lot.
[ Chandni Gri ] Once I dreamt someone was beating me.
[ Chandni Gri ] I woke up and there was no one there.
[ Chandni Gri ] It was probably because [ Chandni Gri ] I was constantly beaten.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] Chandni was brought to us by the police.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] She was very depressed and afraid when the police left,
as she didn't know what this place was.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] She was afraid of something bad happening to her.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] She spent 2 days here and was very down.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] After two or three counselling sessions she gradually began to speak.
[ Chandni Gri ] My parents both had heart problems.
[ Chandni Gri ] They left me with a woman and told me to live there.
[ Chandni Gri ] They told me to ask her to feed me if I was hungry.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] When she was 8,
her family decided their neighbours should raise her.
[ Babita Shrivasta ] She went to live with them,
and washed their clothes and their dishes.
[ Chandni Gri ] They sold me to other people, who sent me elsewhere.
[ Chandni Gri ] I ran away and met a girl, Sweetie.
[ Chandni Gri ] She said, 'Neither of us have anyone.
[ Chandni Gri ] I'll get you a job, so work hard and keep studying.'
[ Chandni Gri ] She didn't let go of me and she fed me on the way to Suvali.
[ Chandni Gri ] There, she sold me to Harkishta.
[ Chandni Gri ] In the Harkishta, illegal activities go on behind the blinds.
[ VO ] What happened to you?
[ Chandni 17 years ] They did dirty things to me. [ Chandni Gri ]
I ran away from there many times, too.
[ Chandni Gri ] But they caught me. I was sold two or three times.
[ VO ] - What happened exactly? [ Chandni Gri ] - I was beaten.
[ Chandni Gri ] They cut me here.
[ Chandni Gri ] Later, when I was brought to Punevas,
they really tried to make me do dirty things, but I wouldn't.
[ Chandni Gri ] I said, 'Kill me, but I won't do it.'
[ Chandni Gri ] Then they beat me, 3-4 people every day.
[ Chandni Gri ] Later, I ran away from there, too.
[ Chandni Gri ] Very dirty business was going on there.
[ VO ] What exactly were their demands?
[ Chandni Gri ] Sex.
[ Chandni Gri ] The only answer was to run away. 00:13:56:00 Graphics Raksha Bandhan, a major Hindu festival
[ Festival participants ] Let's shout, 'Shiva's beating a drum!'
[ Festival participants ] Our God Shiva is our defender!
[ Festival participants ] Participants, please come and take a festive treat!
[ Festival participants ] And let's all cry out,
[ Festival participants ] 'All hail Rama!
[ Festival participants ] All hail Hanuman!'
[ Reshma Chand ] A dancing party would be organised
for all the young girls who had reached maturity.
[ Reshma Chand ] They wouldn't know how many girls there would be.
[ Reshma Chand ] The temple's main priests would then
select girls to become 'devadasi'.
[ Reshma Chand ] They simply proclaimed girls 'devadasi',
meaning they would satisfy the gods' sexual desires.
So the priests did what they pleased to them on behalf of the gods.
[ Reshma Chand ] As the girls slept in the temple,
any priest could come and take one.
[ Reshma Chand ] That's the horrible life these girls had.
[ Reshma Chand ] When the British came, they ended this horrible system.
[ Reshma Chand ] But what were the girls to do?
[ Reshma Chand ] They had to earn a living,
so the system was transformed into a business.
[ Reshma Chand ] Dancing and singing became their business.
[ Reshma Chand ] Before, they weren't paid by those who used them,
now they all take money.
[ Reshma Chand ] It's simply a cultural tradition that became a business. That's it.
Graphics Rinki’s daughter’s classmates don’t know what her mother does for a living.
[ Rinki Katun ] It's good to study in this school.
[ Rinki Katun ] She began her education aged 4, and is now in first grade.
[ Rinki Katun ] She passes her tests.
[ Rinki Katun ] She's learning English, Hindi and maths.
[ Rinki Katun ] She studies well.
[ Rinki Katun ] She'll finish school, find a good job and work well.
[ Rinki Katun ] This is my dream and plan for the future.
[ Rinki Katun ] Why are you using only one finger? Use five.
[ girl ] Like this?
[ Rinki Katun ] Use your fingertips instead of one finger.
- Like this. [ Rinki Katun ] - Open your palm.
[ Rinki Katun ] If you eat with one finger, I'll cut it.
[ Rinki Katun 29 years ] It's about reputation.
[ Rinki Katun ] My daughter's ashamed to be from this community.
[ Rinki Katun ] People know what kind of people are around her.
[ Rinki Katun ] She asks who her father is.
[ Rinki Katun ] Where would I find his name?
[ Rinki Katun ] No one openly calls herself a prostitute.
[ Rinki Katun ] Any children that result can't bear the man's name,
but, naturally, every girl has her man.
[ VO ] - How many clients do you have? [ Rinki Katun ] - Just the one.
[ Rinki Katun ] He is local. He owns a store where I did my shopping.
[ Rinki Katun ] He has two children, a son and daughter.
[ Rinki Katun ] I don't want to be a home-wrecker.
[ Rinki Katun ] I'm happy with him here, I don't need his house.
[ Rinki Katun ] Even if I went to his house, I'd still be branded.
[ Rinki Katun ] But he'll lose his reputation. [ Rinki Katun ] He has a wife at home... [ Rinki Katun ] He is married, has kids.
[ Rinki Katun ] There's a saying, 'People like street pilaf more than home-made.'
[ Rinki Katun ] I'm his 'street pilaf'.
[ Shabir ] This is a drawing of my mother.
[ Shabir ] I felt the urge, so I'm doing it.
[ Shabir ] I'll make a portrait, paint it, prepare it.
[ Shabir ] It will take some time.
[ Shabir ] Nothing compares to your mum.
[ Shabir ] There's her, and there's everything else.
[ Shabir ] Listen, the people here are desperate.
[ Shabir ] They're stuck in this horrible place.
[ Shabir ] Getting out, by finding a job for example, would solve their problems.
[ Shabir ] As soon as they find another source of income,
they won't want to return to this accursed swamp.
[ Shabir ] Destitution is why they are still here.
Graphics For the next few hours, Nadjma will wait for clients.
[ Girl ] - I don't want tea! [ woman ] - Why don't you?
[ Girl ] Gimme, gimme!
[ woman ] - It's 2 rupees. [ Girl ] - No, it's 5.
Go buy something.
Graphics Nadjma’s younger sister is going to evening school.
[ teacher ] (IN ENGLISH!) A, B, C! A for apple B for ball C for cat D for dog E for elephant F for fish…
[ Reshma Chand ] As I said, a sex worker who doesn't have relatives employs
a babysitter who looks after her child while she's working.
[ Reshma Chand ] Not everyone has the money,
so I opened a free kindergarten for the children
whose mothers can't afford a babysitter.
[ Reshma Chand ] The children here receive some education.
[ Reshma Chand ] Three little birds...
...were eating a pomegranate.
[ Reshma Chand ] One flew away...
[ Reshma Chand ] Two are here to stay!
[ Reshma Chand ] I'd like there to be a child care centre
where we could look after kids from 9 am to 9 pm.
[ Reshma Chand ] We could also teach the main subjects and sports for free.
[ Reshma Chand ] And...
depending on their favourite hobby,
singing, dancing or music.
[ Reshma Chand ] I'm eager to help those in need of education.
[ Reshma Chand ] I also like dancing very much.
[ Reshma Chand ] Not vulgar, half-naked dancing, of course,
but the classical forms such as Kathak and others.
[ Reshma Chand ] It's classical dance that I'm interested in.
[ Reshma Chand ] I'm paying for everything.
[ Reshma Chand ] I bear all the expenses. And I don't refuse anybody if they ask for help.
[ Reshma Chand ] I'd like to help the locals,
those who wallow in dirt and vice, to live normal lives.
[ Nadjma ] It depends on the woman.
[ Nadjma ] They talk with clients and go with them if they want.
[ Nadjma ] If a woman is pretty, it's 3,000 - 5,000 rupees ($50 - 80).
[ Nadjma ] My friend told me that I wouldn't get anywhere if I did nothing.
[ Nadjma ] My dad was ill and the situation was desperate. So I did it.
[ Nadjma ] I didn't want to do it, but..
[ Reshma Chand ] What don't you want?
[ Nadjma 18 years ] To sell my body, to dance and sing. It's all so dirty.
[ Nadjma ] The men are often drunk.
[ Nadjma ] No surprise in it. That's the business.
[ Nadjma ] I'd need support to be able to quit.
[ A woman ] Oh my sunshine! My beauty!
[ A woman ] Wake up, baby, wake up!
[ A woman ] My sunshine, come on, wake up!
[ A woman ] How long will you sleep, baby?
[ VO ] Is it true that you're pregnant?
[ Chandni Gri ] Yes.
[ VO ] - Who's the father? [ Chandni Gri ]- Kankhaya.
[ VO ] - Where does he live? [ Chandni Gri ] - He has a house in Suboli, Pipalkoti.
[ Chandni Gri ] But he's married, so…
[ Chandni Gri 17 years ] My parents have never wondered...
where their daughter is.
[ Chandni Gri ] If they knew I was in that district, they'd never talk to me again.
[ Chandni Gri ] I want to get on my feet.
[ Chandni Gri ] I don't want to be a slave and I don't want to marry.
[ Chandni Gri ] I want to be independent.
[ Nadjma 18 years ] I hope to God I get my children an education.
[ Nadjma ] I want to send them to a good school,
then I'll have my own house, and quit dancing and singing.
[ Nadjma ] My family will live alone.
[ Nadjma ] Maybe I'll open a small shop to earn a living. That's it.