Hope in the Heart of the City

With the focus of the 2022 Helping-Hand Appeal being Gender Justice, we share about the workof The Salvation Army in Bangladesh, who are journeying with communities to address genderinequality and supporting vulnerable and exploited women in the city of Jessore.

In the Autumn 2021 edition of Develop we introduced the 2022 Helping-Hand Appeal. This year the focus is Gender Justice – working with women around the world to ensure they have equal access to rights and opportunities, and the freedom to flourish. The videos and resources for this year’s appeal highlight The Salvation Army’s ‘Unidas hacia un Cambio’ (United Towards a Change) project in Tres Arroyos, Argentina, which supports women and children who have experienced domestic abuse. Through group therapy sessions, women can share their experiences in a safe and caring environment and get practical support to end the abuse.

For the children, fun and engaging sessions entitled ‘Learning Through Play’ help them to find non-violent responses to different situations and take part in breaking the cycle of abuse in their families.

Domestic abuse is just one aspect of genderbased violence and, in turn, addressing this is just one aspect of our Gender Justice work.

Alongside ‘Unidas hacia un Cambio’, The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory has funded work in South Africa aimed at growing The Salvation Army’s gender justice work there, and also supports a project with women who have experienced or are experiencing sexual exploitation in the brothels of Jessore, Bangladesh.

In addition to these specific projects, we also work to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed throughout all the projects for which we provide technical and financial support.

Gender-based violence is a global issue. A woman of any age, class, economic status or culture group may experience gender-based violence. One in three women around the world will experience intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual abuse in their lifetime. However, research shows that while gender-based violence crosses all socioeconomic groups, women living in poverty are disproportionately affected. With less capacity to leave, the experience of abuse is more likely to be increased and prolonged for women living in poverty.

This is certainly the situation for the women that The Salvation Army is journeying with in Jessore, Bangladesh.

At the heart of the city is a sprawling redlight district where many women experience exploitation on a daily basis. These women have not chosen this path; rather many have either been trafficked into the brothels or entered them in the belief that this was their only hope for survival.

For almost 30 years The Salvation Army has had a project office within walking distance of three of the city’s large brothels. It is from this base that the team run a support programme for vulnerable and exploited women in the area.

The team have strengthened their relationships with the women living in the brothels. This means the women can share their honest feedback about the project and help shape its future. Local ownership is essential for the success of a project, and so a key component has been ensuring that it is the women and community members themselves who identify problems, propose the solutions and set the priorities of the project.

The project aims to support vulnerable women and children that The Salvation Army has connected with, ensuring the women are economically secure and helping children to return to education. The long-term aim is that women can support themselves through sustainable, safe and fair livelihoods, free from exploitation and violence.

Numerous activities take place which work towards achieving the aims of this project. These include delivering training in a variety of topics, from functional literacy and numeracy to human rights and health awareness. Along with local partners, The Salvation Army supports women to find alternative sources of income by providing skills training and helping women to find safe employment or set up their own small businesses. For the children living in the brothels there is a drop-in centre where they can play games, access educational support and make friends in a safe and caring environment. The team also works with communities in the areas surrounding the city, to raise awareness about the dangers of early marriage and the importance of women’s rights.

Riya* (25) is one of the women The Salvation Army has met through this project. Riya was born and raised in Jessore, along with four brothers, by her mother and father. When Riya was around 13 years old, her parents arranged marriage for her. Though this was not what she wanted, Riya agreed to marry due to family pressure. Riya soon realised that her husband was addicted to drugs, and when she tried to address this with him, he beat her up. After four years of marriage, Riya gave birth to her first daughter.

The abuse continued throughout her marriage and Riya eventually decided to leave her husband. Riya moved back in with her mother, who had since divorced, and they struggled financially. Despite finding some work as a casual cleaner in a local hotel, Riya and her mother did not have enough income to support the household. Riya started to work as a call girl.

Men would call her to different houses or hotels, where she would stay for an hour or occasionally the entire night, and she saved the money she was earning. However, after a short time, her husband returned for a few days. He then ran away, taking all the money Riya had saved for her future.

Some time later, Riya realised she was pregnant and was deeply concerned for her child’s future. She considered abortion but her mother told her to keep the baby.

The pregnancy was difficult, and with little income Riya did not have enough money to pay for hospital delivery. She received support from a few organisations, but there were still outstanding fees owed to the hospital where the baby was born. Through the project, The Salvation Army came to know of Riya’s situation. They were able to pay the hospital bill and ensure better treatment of her new-born baby.

The Salvation Army recognised that Riya could start a small business to grow her income and not return to work as a call girl. The team helped her to access training in tailoring, and through networking with another organisation Riya received a sewing machine. She now gains a good, regular income by sewing and selling clothes. She is hopeful that she can continue on this path and support her family through this small business.

The Helping-Hand Appeal for our Gender Justice work will run until the end of 2022. For more information visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/helpinghand2022 or donate by scanning the QR code.

*Name has been changed

By Hayley Still