Lawrence Milton, TNN | Aug 26, 2011, 10.32PM IST
MYSORE: Radhamma, a PU pass girl, was pushed into sex racket by a policeman. Her future would have been a void but her life took a new turn the day she met social activist M Parashuram, who has rehabilitated hundreds of sexually exploited women and their children.
Thanks to his efforts, many children of sex workers have completed their graduation and are employed too. This apart, hundreds of sexually exploited girls have been reformed through counselling over the past one and a half decades.
What started as an experiment to bring such women and children into the mainstream in 1996, the movement has fetched gratifying results. Parashuram and his friend K V Stanley dedicated themselves to welfare of sex workers and their families in 1991. They researched to get to the root of the problem. After a study, they resolved to educate children of the sexually harassed women and destitutes through the programme, Prayog Path in 1996. "We started with 20 children. But the number swelled fast," he said.
Parashuram's foray into the field was by accident. Working for a Kannada daily, he once met sex worker Radhamma in the course of work. After hearing her horrifying experiences with police, he started the residential rehabilitation centre, 'Odanadi Seva Samsthe', in 1991. "A policeman had pushed PU passed Radhamma into the prostitution ring," he said.
Stanley and he brought out a book on the socio-economic condition of sex workers in 1993 and fought for their rights. Today, the government has approved mentioning of the caste of children of sex workers as 'Indian' and the University of Mysore has reserved seats or offers concession in fee for them, Parashuram claims. Under the Prayog Path programme 90 children have graduated in many streams, including law and engineering.
Hailing from Ramanagara district, Parashuram, the son of Lingegowda and Parvathamma, did his post-graduation (economics) from the Mysore varsity in 1988. He served as a district coordinator for literacy campaign for four years since 1992 and did his master's in science in sexuality and sexual counselling. Now, he is pursing law. And his goal is to fight for job reservation for destitutes and children of sex workers.
Thanks to his efforts, many children of sex workers have completed their graduation and are employed too. This apart, hundreds of sexually exploited girls have been reformed through counselling over the past one and a half decades.
What started as an experiment to bring such women and children into the mainstream in 1996, the movement has fetched gratifying results. Parashuram and his friend K V Stanley dedicated themselves to welfare of sex workers and their families in 1991. They researched to get to the root of the problem. After a study, they resolved to educate children of the sexually harassed women and destitutes through the programme, Prayog Path in 1996. "We started with 20 children. But the number swelled fast," he said.
Parashuram's foray into the field was by accident. Working for a Kannada daily, he once met sex worker Radhamma in the course of work. After hearing her horrifying experiences with police, he started the residential rehabilitation centre, 'Odanadi Seva Samsthe', in 1991. "A policeman had pushed PU passed Radhamma into the prostitution ring," he said.
Stanley and he brought out a book on the socio-economic condition of sex workers in 1993 and fought for their rights. Today, the government has approved mentioning of the caste of children of sex workers as 'Indian' and the University of Mysore has reserved seats or offers concession in fee for them, Parashuram claims. Under the Prayog Path programme 90 children have graduated in many streams, including law and engineering.
Hailing from Ramanagara district, Parashuram, the son of Lingegowda and Parvathamma, did his post-graduation (economics) from the Mysore varsity in 1988. He served as a district coordinator for literacy campaign for four years since 1992 and did his master's in science in sexuality and sexual counselling. Now, he is pursing law. And his goal is to fight for job reservation for destitutes and children of sex workers.
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