KANNUR: One may not find any sex workers in the streets in Kannur at night these days. That is the proud claim made by Shaji M.S. Sajid who has been working to rehabilitate the fallen women through his organisation ‘Chola.’ It was some ten years back that Shaji, a youngster from Kannur district, was given charge of the district’s AIDS Control Society. He conducted a study on the prostitutes in the district and found that 90 percent of them did not opt for this profession to make money, but were forced into it due to several reasons.
This revelation inspired him to form ‘Chola’ that has rehabilitated more than 700 women in the district. “Through the AIDS Control Society, we were allotted some funds, which were used for the rehabilitation of the women. The state doesn’t have a specific policy for their rehabilitation,” he said. ‘Chola’ has rescued hundreds of such women and created a model for rehabilitation that the government and other organisations can emulate.
With the help of the district administration and other local government bodies, the women were employed as home nurses, daily wage workers and sales girls thereby bringing them to the mainstream. They have their own small organisation which is mentored by ‘Chola’ and they also collect money as an investment, he added. ‘Chola’ was given a national award by the National Legal Service Authority in 2015 for its dedicated work and for providing free legal services. Shaji was also honoured by the Youth Welfare Board for being the best social worker in the state.
