Daasi (slaves)
This documentary is about the social injustice and exploitation of sex workers living in the Karmathapuri area of Bombay, where over 200,000 women and girls (mainly from Nepal – a relatively poor country in comparison with urban India) live and work under the most demoralising conditions. For many women there seems to be no alternative, but benefits are high for those who profit by their exploitation and the brothel “business” continues to thrive on the sexual, emotional and physical abuse of women. ‘Daasi’ examines how society continues to endorse this 20th century slave-trade tracing the problem back to the days of British colonialism when large numbers of Indian women were brought in to supply the ready market of soldiers.
The film-maker takes care to avoid sensationalism by focusing on information that will highlight the problem and stimulate changes in attitudes generally, and particularly within India's central government which presently refuses to acknowledge the problem, much less control it.
Description Source: Cinenova Catalogue (1994). Edited by Kate Norrish. Editorial committee: Elaine Burrows, Liane Harris, Helen de Witt