Safe

This little cutie was my assistant at a jewelry training that I did at a shelter home in Bangalore. She picked up all the beads that were scattered on the floor, and got supplies and tools for anyone who needed them. She also tried to run off with half of the beads until I gave her a string of beads that she could play with while everyone else was learning to make jewelry. She started out very shy, but by the end of the two week I spend there, she became quite the little ham when the camera was out.

This home was a home for girls who had been trafficked, or who were at risk of being trafficked. Her Mom was living there. No one quite knew the Mom's story, whether she had been trafficked, or was just at risk. As far as I could find out, no one really knew the situation of her and her daughter at all. Did the Father die? Abandon them? Who knows.
In this home where they were staying, living conditions were not ideal. The girls pretty well stay in the house unless they're going out for school. It's the same routine every day, and I know I would get bored stiff. Many of the girls sleep on mats spread on the floor rather than in beds.
But they are safe. They are not in the circumstances that would cause them to be trafficked. They are in a place where they can learn and improve their lives, and one day, leave there with the skills and knowledge to get by in the world. Perhaps one day this little girl will have opportunities in life that her Mother never had, and it is because right now, she is safe.

Photos by Laura Webster-Bangalore, June 2013

Too Young

A nineteen year old girl, still just a child herself, too young to go through what she has experienced. A baby born with handicaps, a husband who has abandoned them. Quite likely because of their handicapped daughter.
But the look of love and joy on her face as she watched her daughter do horse therapy was beautiful. It looked as though her troubles were lifted for a time. Mother and baby both glowed.

Then she disappeared. She gave up on the opportunity of an education which would help her better her life. She gave up on therapy and a future education for her daughter. She left the people who most wanted to help her, and give her a chance at a brighter future.
Where is she now? We don’t know. Perhaps with family. I hope she’s with someone who cares. I really hope for something great for her little daughter. That she would get therapy somewhere else, and not just be one of these hidden children who remains shut away her whole life.

Photos by Pradeep Rajendran and Morgan Malstead. Ooty, summer 2013

Laughter

These aren’t my photos. Just thought I’d throw that out there. Though I would guess you could figure that out. I was not aware that these pictures had been taken until I was looking through a friend’s pictures.
These were taken just before we left for camp with a group of girls who are survivors of human trafficking. These two, Raji and Joythi, were working in our jewelry workshop in Ooty, so I knew them already. But the camp atmosphere always makes people, even if they live mere minutes away from each other, get loads of pictures together.
This time, we were trying to get Raji to smile, and she was doing her best to not smile. I love these photos. We all look goofy in at least one or two, but there is such true joy in every face. Even Raji, with all that she was trying to not smile.

Those girls are so beautiful, and I saw it even more during that week at camp. They were so happy, having the new experiences. Running around outside, swimming, climbing rocks, hiking. And the happier they were, the more beautiful they were.
These pictures make me smile. Such memories, and so much beauty in those joyous smiles.

Photos by Pradeep Rajendran. Ooty, April 2013

Cow Lady

I saw her in Bangalore as I was wandering around on my own. This lady with her cows and her dog. Something about her struck me, and I started taking pictures of her. I tried to be discreet. I did not want to be a stupid tourist, gawking at the locals. But there was something about her bearing, her attitude, her manner, that I wanted to capture.

After some time, she noticed me sitting there by the road, and came over to join me. We attempted to talk to each other, but couldn’t really manage much. She seemed to get a lot of joy out of showing off her dog, having him shake hands with me, and hearing me say that he was a beautiful dog. She genuinely loved that dog.

Though it doesn’t look like she was terribly happy about having her photo taken, she actually asked for it to be taken. This is typical of Indian women, especially older women, to look very serious and stern in photos. My favourite picture of her though, is the one of her playing with her dog. Such a relaxed, happy picture. It seems more real to me than the serious, posed photo.

Photos by Laura Webster. Bangalore, June 2013

On the Brink

This picture makes me wonder. It was taken near the Bandra slum in Mumbai in 2012. This girl; where is she now? I would guess her to be young, on the brink between being a girl and being a woman. A hard enough age to be in any case, but how much harder in a slum, an area where they say women definitely shouldn’t be alone at night. Did she have someone to protect her? Was someone there for her? What does the future have in store for her? Does she even have a future? Maybe not. I don’t know if she is even still alive. I don’t know anything about this girl, and it makes me wonder.

Photo by Laura Webster. Mumbai, February 2012