Oppurtunities for Change

Asmi's marriage to Raja is an indication of a new liberation that's sweeping the women who had so far led a life of prolonged violence and self-destructive behaviour as commercial sex workers. Economically rehabilitated, she is the third woman who has changed the rules and her life, reports PREETU NAIR.


VASCO: Asmi married Raja in a low profile ceremony in a temple in Vasco on Friday. The wedding ceremony was performed, Raja applied sindoor on Asmi's forehead and they took seven pheras, legitimizing their relationship of last 4 years.

Their marriage may have been planned in heaven, but it needed courage and self-belief for the couple to break the shackles of tradition and say "I do" on the big day in their life. With this ceremony, Asmi has broken the age-old cultural taboo that prohibits a "Devdasi" from entering the wedlock.

Asmi was dedicated to Goddess Yellama at the age of 12 and forced into prostitution as a Devadasi in Goa. Devadasi is a religious practice, whereby parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple. The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become a prostitute. A Devadasi is forbidden to enter into a real marriage.

The mass demolition of cubicles in Baina's unofficial red light area on June 14, 2004, didn't change her situation, but in fact worsened it. With no economic rehabilitation in sight, she was forced to travel to other parts of the state for "business".

The real opportunity to transform her life came when she was economically rehabilitated by ARZ, an NGO working with trafficked victims in Goa, as part of its economic rehabilitation programme. She started working in a fully mechanized laundry unit, "Swift Wash", at Sancoale Industrial estate, which provides employment to 40 trafficked victims like her, mostly from Baina.

While the employment programme made women financially self-sufficient, marriage has given them social acceptance. Asmi is the third woman working at Swift Wash to tie the nuptial knot.

"I am very happy. I feel liberated and hope to inspire other women like me. Its nice to marry the man you love," reveals Asmi. Her act reflects a growing confidence among the women, who were once trafficked into the flesh trade and exploited everyday. Besides being a moment of great emotional and personal satisfaction, it is also a moment of realization for other girls like her: the onus of changing their lives is on them.

However, it wasn't easy for Asmi. Among the many tests she went through was refusal by her "parents" to except the relationship and Raja's initial resistance to commit. Asmi's "parents" were aghast that their daughter had dared to break the social tradition. "We have realized that our love for each other is more important than anything else. Initially, I was reluctant to marry, but now I am happy that I married Asmi," said Raja.

Seeing women resettled and doing well is the most rewarding part for Arun Pandey, Director, ARZ. "Economic rehabilitation has empowered trafficked victims who no more want to be in a relationship that is exploitative. They are increasingly emphasizing on marriage, which not only has legal sanctity but also social acceptance, which helps them in joining the mainstream," says Pandey.

This newfound confidence and inspiration would definitely help the survivors of the country's worst social tradition to pick up the threads of their lives by breaking the socio-economic compulsions.

(Name of the couple changed on request)
(An earlier version of the article appeared in GT Weekender, Panaji edition, 24 June 2007)