A day in the life of Bharat

It is 6:00 am. Bharat wakes up. He looks around and finds his mother and her "partner" fast asleep. He tries to move about the only room where he and his mother live, very carefully. Because he knows that if he makes the slightest sound, his mother will wake up, and without asking him anything, she will just give him two tight slaps and lots of bad words. He reaches for his books and starts studying. Slowly and carefully turning pages. He feels extremely thirsty but doesn't dare to get a glass of water. Because the sound of water jug might just disturb his mother's sleep. After all, she has slept around 4:00 am, after attending to her last "customer". Bharat's mother is a Commercial Sex Worker (CSW). She is an alcoholic too.

Bharat is trying hard to concentrate on his studies, but even the soft sound of his books wakes up his mother and Bharat gets another dose of his daily beating! He doesn't complain. His mother's partner gets up and he too slaps him as hard as he can. They go back to bed. Bharat quietly goes back to study.

It is 10:00 am now. Bharat is starving. But he packs his school bag and heads for school. Bharat is a good student. In school, he tries to focus on his studies, but it's hard to focus with an empty stomach.

It is almost evening time. Bharat returns home. He is very hungry. His mother is at the door. She makes him go out and buy some snacks. Then, she and Bharat eat it. Mother does not even exchange a single word of warmth, instead abuses him whenever she can. Bharat is restless now. Because it is time for him to get out of the house as his mother may get a "customer" any time. He is too tired and exhausted. But he has no choice. He is out on the streets.. waiting to go home and sleep when it is the "right" time.

Challenges faced by the children of CSWs:

• Do not get sufficient food to eat. Go hungry for days.
• Do not get basic education.
• Do not have a place to play.
• Do not have a place to rest even at night. Lack adequate sleep.
• Are very insecure. Do not feel accepted by the society.
• Are aggressive and violent. This is a side effect of what they witness everyday. Are physically as well as psychologically abused.
• Have very poor physical health. Possibility of being HIV+ is very high.

There is a high probability that the daughter of a CSW will become a CSW when she grows up and the son will become a pimp. This itself shows us the state of affairs the children live in.

It is evident that these children are standing on the lowest strata of the social ladder and their problems are grossly ignored.