Teen Soccer Star Delivers Awesomely Articulate Statement On Being A Child Of A Sex Worker

sex workersThis October, two teenage boys from West Bengal are headed to Mexico to play for the Indian soccer team in the Homeless World Soccer Cup 2012. One in of them in particular, Mohammad Salauddin, aged 17, took to soccer as a young child growing up in red light area of Kidderpore. But Mohammad possesses no shame about his mother’s profession as a sex worker and thereby his own origins. In fact, he is now setting out to prove exactly what children of sex workers are capable of accomplishing. And by his own personal estimate, that would be a lot.

I smell a powerful documentary, at the very least.

ShanghaiDaily.com describes Mohammad’s neighborhood as “congested,” and his life as a teenager as “tough.” Nevertheless, the kid was spotted for his soccer prowess several years ago and was selected for a team organized by a city level tournament. But after being chosen by Durbar Mahila Samannaya Committee (DMSC), a non-governmental organization, to play in Mexico, Mohammad plans to do a lot more than simply make a name for himself:

“As a child I used to get shaky due to the stigma attached to the children of sex workers. DMSC dragged me out of that shame and stigma. In fact, I am proud of my mother because she took up the profession to feed us. Now I want to focus on football and show the world that children of sex workers also can do it,” said Salauddin.

Such a powerful statement from a kid about his own mother, his upbringing, and his conscious decision to shun shame suggests such pronounced maturity. A child articulating such circumstances and goals for himself, as well as other kids who share his roots, is flat out remarkable. And the support for his mother, coupled with pride, is even more resounding.

Dr. Samarjit Jana of DMSC describes the selection of Mohammad, as well as 16-year-old Surojit Bhattacharya, also a child of a sex worker, as “a big achievement in integrating children of sex workers with the mainstream sports community.”

In addition to training and conditioning at a residential school for children of sex workers, the DMSC is reportedly trying to keep both boys in school.

Hopefully Mohammad’s athletic skills and ambition for shattering stigmas associated with children of sex workers will take him far. Like to an HBO documentary that I can watch and cry along with.

(photo: Nixx Photography / Shutterstock)

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