Named for the white bird that perches on water buffalo in rice paddies, she is a a woman, my age, working as a maid for my landlords. Her sister previously worked here, but being only 16, she became too homesick to work and returned back to tea country to send Kokila in her place. Both young women share huge smiles, yet deep sadness in their eyes. Kokila collects newspaper clippings of Tamil Bollywood stars and keeps them in a scrap book, and she tracks all the soap operas on telly. She can explain (using chef and body language to interpret) all the gossip in Bollywood and that one actor, Veejay, is visiting Colombo in June. But she cannot cook well and has no interest in doing housework. Nason, the chef, resents incompetence and other workers for their 'bad' manners, most likely because he's the only one who works 18 hrs a day with little rest. He has been trying to get rid of Kokila for some time and I came to realise it is because she sells sex to one of my beastly neighbours.
The landlords found out that one of the gardners pimps her out, so now they try to keep their eyes on her. However, they are lawyers and are often not around. I tried to reason with the chef that she could need the money for her young child, who is being taken care of by her family. Or that she could care less about the domestic work when she is given gifts, clothes, jewelry, money for her other informal services. Or that she seeks to be with men because she had abusive, alcoholic father (common case particularly in rural communities, like the tea village where she grew up). But Nason insists that she is a bad person and should be thrown out on the streets. Meanwhile, the men, like the gardner pimp, the obese beast, the employer who doesn;t intervene, and the critical gaze of the cook, are off the hook in this scenario. Hardly is their complicity questioned. Whatever Kokila's reasons for turning tricks on the side, why is it acceptable for these men to continue this behavior with no consequences? It will be Kokila who loses her job, and potentially stable income for her family and kid.
What I cannot endorse is the easiest thing that is done here, which is to ignore, put problems aside, look the other way. These class divisions and notions of superiority are most visible within the organisation where I work. It makes me nauseous to learn that none of the national staff have permanent contracts and that fast-track health care for them is only being negotiated now (health care is free for Sri Lankans, but some form of private insurance has more perks/quality). One amazing, overqualified colleague has degrees in micro-biology and human resource management. She was demoted to asst HR mngr without notice, while they hired another woman to take her position. It makes absolutely no sense; meanwhile we pretend that everything is fine, equitable, and that we are building alternatives. At least the private sector is more blatent about screwing people over for profit, rather than pretending it's working to achieve MDGs and improve the human condition. I'm quite bitter that some people in this field will trample on every human being for their own personal glory. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy most people I work with; just that management needs to improve significantly. Perhaps managers could be trained in human rights or something before working in human development?
Just a few threads to highlight the continuous hardships that many women must endure, on all levels.
But for some good news, in Rio de Janeiro women prostitutes are lobbying to legitimise prostitution by creating their own clothing line. Retired hookers design and sew the clothing, but I wonder if it's fair trade? As well, in a strategic essentialist way, women are banding together and organising to call for an end to the occupation in Iraq. Look out for these peaceniks in a town near you. So yeah, can we get on with it please?
