A job for jayati

Rescued from a brothel at the age of 11, Jayati is now pursuing her dreams

MUMBAI 12TH DEC 2011: “At first I was very nervous,” says Jayati*, 21, about her first job interview, “but as I began to answer their questions, I felt more and more at ease.”

We met Jayati four months ago, she had been referred by another organisation. She had been rescued from a brothel when she was just 11. Exposed to such trauma at such a vulnerable age, Jayati’s recovery has seen its highs and its lows. Her longing for a place to belong made her lose focus and take impulsive decisions that often had her in and out of programmes in the past.

But when you meet her, it is hard to miss her enthusiasm and good people skills. We enrolled her in a hospitality course with the Kotak Education Foundation. After she finished her course, our Care and Intervention team helped her find a job opening with a popular chain of cinemas. Jayati’s confidence did the rest. The company has offered her a job in one of their cinemas where she will be selling tickets, ushering and working at the snack bar. She will earn Rs. 6000 (approx. £75) a month.

“It’s been my desire for so long, to work and save up for the future,” says Jayati. Ask her what the future holds for her and she shyly discloses that she wants to become a social worker. “If God saved me, it was for a reason — so that I would be able to help other children like me,” she says.

* Name has been changed to protect her identity