In Calcutta's red light district, over 7,000 women and girls work as prostitutes. Only one group has a lower standing: their children. Zana Briski became involved in the lives of these children in 1998 when she first began photographing prostitutes in Calcutta. Living in the brothels for months at a time, she quickly developed a relationship with many of the kids who, often terrorized and abused, were drawn to the rare human companionship she offered. 

Brinski lived inside the brothel — alongside the workers, their customers and their children — for two years. She began to focus her efforts on those she felt she had the best chance of influencing — the children of prostitutes. “You can support the women but it’s too hard to change things. I feel there is a lot more hope for the children,” Brinski says. Giving eight of them cameras, Brinski practiced what K.W.C. now calls “empowering children through the art of photography.”

The children created bold, expressive portraits of brothel life. And besides talent, Brinski saw fundraising potential. Sotheby’s agreed to auction the children’s photographs in 2001 and by 2002 Brinski had founded K.W.C. as a venue to sell the prints and return profits back to the kids.

“Born into Brothels” grew from over 170 hours of tape and translation that began in 2000. The film, which received the Audience Award at Sundance 2004, follows Brinski’s attempts to get the kids out of brothel life and into schools — which is where K.W.C. directs most of its funds.

The organization is currently scoping out land around Calcutta in order to build a School of Leadership in the Arts in mid-2006. The school would educate only the children of prostitutes, who are according to Brinski “completely underserved in the community.”

The film shows the children as being stigmatized and having few, if any records of their identity, making school a complicated option. But the hardships are also a background to the children’s successes, and their surprising dedication. “I wanted to make a film showing the beauty and intelligence of the kids, how brilliant they are,” Brinski says.

Six of the eight children followed in the Calcutta documentary, who are now 12-15, currently attend school. The other two are in brothels and Brinski is trying to get them out, which is not a matter of paying somebody off. “It’s a matter of pride,” says Brinski. “It’s shameful and sad for the mothers to let their kids go. They see boarding school as an orphanage, as if they can’t take care of their children.” Brinski happily adds that one child, Avijit, goes to one of the best schools in Calcutta. And while another, Gour, is still living in the red-light district, he’s attending computer and English classes, and acting as Brinski’s informant on whether the kids are getting into any trouble.
 

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