WHY CHILLA

All the existing centers for children in Kerala are orphanages. The children staying in these centers are considered as the center’s children and are orphans. But sex workers’ children are not orphans. They have their own mothers but sex workers. Most of the time, the mothers are in the streets for livelihood. They have no home or even shelter. So their children are also in the streets with them.The orphanages are not ready to admit these children as sex workers’ children. Even when they are admitted their mothers cannot visit them and they can’t get back their children when they are in need. In other words admitting a sex worker’s child in an orphanage simply means losing their motherhood.Chilla attempts to fill this gap. Chilla is a place for sex workers’ children where they can live together as sex worker’s children. Unlike other centers, there is no restriction for the mothers in accessing their children in our centre.More over Chilla was started as a part of a movement for the dignity of sex workers in the society, which enables the children not to feel stigmatized. They also don’t develop hatred towards their mothers or feel shame being a child of a sex worker.