RESEARCH AND TRAINING
SONAGACHI RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE (SRTI)
The leadership of DMSC felt the necessity to transfer knowledge and wisdom of a community led process to uplift a marginalized community like sex workers. The unique understanding and knowledge generated in the process of developing a intervention based program on a combination of strategies and approaches of community mobilization and structural interventions should be shared with the Global Community. To fulfil the objective, it became imminent to develop a knowledge ‘hub’ with a view to transfer knowledge and skill through a robust process of knowledge management. It was also decided to build an institutional structure to lay down a mechanism to transfer knowledge and skill. The institution thus mooted is named as SRTI (Sonagachi Research and Training Institute) with full support of the DMSC.
It was envisaged to create a ‘people’s training institute’ with the incorporation of academicians from the background of social science, development professional in addition to technical experts belonging to health and other disciplines. The other issue was how to incorporate community-based experts as part of the team who have knowledge and experience in community mobilization process in addition to creating enabling environment of sex workers’ community. One of the initial objectives of this institute is to build capacity of program implementers across south East Asian countries including the key community members who are responsible to manage and run sustainable HIV intervention program. The institute helped building not only technical skill on health interventions but also took innovative approaches to improve self-esteem and confidence among the marginalized communities in addition to their theoretical and practical process of knowledge based on collectivization and leadership development.
Placement of interns and Exposure visit organized through SRTI:
On an average 150 interns [in country and from abroad] are placed in DMSC and their orientation, guidance etc. are steered through SRTI. Placement of interns in the project site varies from four weeks to three months.
| Number of internees attended in last eleven years: NATIONAL | ||||
| YEAR | GRADUATE | POST GRADUATE | PHD | SHORT TERM VISIT (For a period of three months or less) |
| 2013 | 2 | 21 | 9 | 10 |
| 2014 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 71 |
| 2015 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 142 |
| 2016 | 18 | 19 | 1 | 105 |
| 2017 | 17 | 18 | 4 | 149 |
| 2018 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 110 |
| 2019 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 122 |
| 2020 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 32 |
| 2021 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 52 |
| 2022 | 16 | 16 | 3 | 136 |
| 2023 | 18 | 14 | 5 | 142 |
| Number of internees attended in last eleven years: INTERNATIONAL | ||||
| YEAR | GRADUATE | POST GRADUATE | PHD | SHORT TERM VISIT (For a period of three months or less) |
| 2013 | – | 18 | 3 | 7 |
| 2014 | – | 10 | 1 | 13 |
| 2015 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 51 |
| 2016 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 13 |
| 2017 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 20 |
| 2018 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 5 |
| 2019 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| 2020 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 6 |
| 2023 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 18 |
Capacity Building Unit:
Under SRTI following activities are undertaken:
A dedicated capacity building unit namely CLCAB (Community Led Capacity Assessment and Building unit) came into existence from 2006 onward. Through this full-fledged capacity building unit training, mentoring and other kind of capacities are built. In addition to class room-based training, handholding and mentoring supports are provided to trainees. A pool of renowned individuals representing different disciplines e.g., public health, sociology, counselling, anti-trafficking, economics and also from STI background are attached to SRTI as full time or visiting faculty / consultants.
So far, we have provided support to a large number (75+) of civil society organization i.e., NGO’s / CBO’s and around 500 participants from these organizations has received training since inception. SRTI maintains a dedicated documentation unit manned by specialized technical persons.
Research Unit
SRTI conducts varied research activities which includes Behavioral, Clinical, Biomedical and Operation’s research in partnership with number of Universities namely: UCLA, Yale University, Nottingham University, Pennsylvania University, University of Manitoba, Warwick University, Manchester University.
Since 2010, some of the important research work undertaken by the staff members of SRTI are;
- Communitization and its impact on HIV/AIDS Intervention among the sex workers in Kolkata, India.
- Assessing sexual behaviour and HIV prevalence among the clients of sex workers
- The sexual behaviour and practices among the middle-class women in city, Kolkata
- Clints’ perception about circumcision
- Conducting survey to assess female sex workers’ need and access to MCH related services
- Perception on Menstruation among sex workers and non sex worker community in Kolkata
- Socio Economic Survey on LGBT community
- Attitude towards Homosexuality
- Adherence and prevention support for PLHIV in Kolkata by use of mobile telephone – a pilot project
- Implementing DRISHTI: Reducing HIV risk among sex workers with depression
- Feasibility study on the potential introduction of HIV oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among female sex workers (SW) in Sonagachi, India (brothel-based)
- Closing a critical HIV prevention gap: demonstrating safety and effective delivery of daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of an HIV combination preventive intervention for sex workers in Kolkata and Mysore-Mandya, India
Research articles in different books and journals
- Jana Smarajit, Protim Ray. Strategizing Occupational Health and safety in Sex Work settings-A case study. MFC India, 2013.
- Iyengar, Sanghamitra, Divya Sarma, Meena Saraswathi Seshu, Aarthi Pai, Smarajit Jana, Sheetal Naik, Ananthamma Naik, Muktha Poojar, K. Sulekha, Shubha Chacko, Lakshmi Shankaran, Prabha S. Chandra, Pratima Murthy, ShyamalaNataraj, Rajaram Subbian, Shakina Sayyed. “Women in Sex Work: Collectivization and Implications for Counselling Practice” in A Manual for Counseling Women in Sex Work (Chapter II), Saksham – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, 2013.
- Ghosal Sayantan, Smarajit Jana, Anandi Mani, Sandip Mitra, Sanchari Roy. “Sex Workers, Stigma and Self-Belief: Evidence from a Psychological Training Program in India.”JEL (Journal of Economic Literature) Codes: O12, I30, 87, November, 2013.
- Ghosal Sayantan, Smarajit Jana, Anandi Mani, Sandip Mitra, Sanchari Roy. “Sex Workers, Stigma and Self-Belief: Evidence from a Psychological Training Program in India.”Gender Action Portal (Harvard Kennedy School), September, 2013.
- Ghosal Sayantan, Smarajit Jana, Anandi Mani, Sandip Mitra, Sanchari Roy. “Believing in oneself: can psychological training overcome the effects of social exclusion?”JEL (Journal of Economic Literature), Issue: 152, O12, J15, D87, September, 2013.
- Jana Smarajit, Catherine Buttner, Protim Ray, Madhushree Das, Sudhanshu Chakraborty, Shyam Sundar Jha. “Communitisation and its ability to encourage safe sex practices among sex workers in India.” IJRSS (International Journal of Research in Social Sciences); Vol. 4 (2), May, 2014.
- Samira Ali, Toorjo Ghose, Smarajit Jana, Sambuddha Chaudhuri. “Exceeding the Individual: a Qualitative Examination of a Community-Led Structural Intervention and Its Implications for Sex Workers and Their Families.” Glob SocWelf (2014) 1:53–63. Published online: 13 May, 2014.
- Swendeman Dallas, Smarajit Jana, Protim Ray. “Medication Adherence and Quality of Life Support by Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Calls among People Living with HIV in India.” Medicine0, Last Updated: May 2014.
- Samira Ali, Toorjo Ghose, Smarajit Jana, Sambuddha Chaudhuri. “Exceeding the Individual: a Qualitative Examination of a Community-Led Structural Intervention and Its Implications for Sex Workers and Their Families.”Global Social Welfare, 1 (2), pp 53-63, June, 2014.
- Steen, Richard, Smarajit Jana, Sushena Reza-Paul, Marlise Richter. “Trafficking, sex work, and HIV: efforts to resolve conflicts.” The Lancet; Vol.385 (9963), pp94-96, July, 2014.
- Mukandavire, Zindoga, Kate Mitchell, Smarajit Jana, Peter Vickerman; Mary Ann Liebert. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Inc. Publishers, Vol. 30 (1), October 2014.
- Jana, Smarajit, Bharati Dey, Sushena Reza-Paul, Richard Steen. “Combating human trafficking in the sex trade: can sex workers do it better?”Journal of Public Health, 36(4), pp. 622–628, December 2014.
- Swendeman Dallas, Smarajit Jana, Protim Ray, Deborah Mindry, Madhushree Das, Bhumi Bhakta. “Development and Pilot Testing of Daily Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Calls to Support Antiretroviral Adherence in India: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.”AIDSBehav(2015)19:S142–S155. Published online:February,2015.
- Ghosal Sayantan, Smarajit Jana, Anandi Mani, Sandip Mitra, Sanchari Roy. “Sex Workers, Self-Image and Stigma: Evidence from Kolkata Brothels.”JEL(Journal of Economic Literature), Codes: O12, I30, D8, July, 2015.
- Ghosal Sayantan, Smarajit Jana, Anandi Mani, Sandip Mitra, Sanchari Roy. “Sex Workers, Self-Image and Stigma: Evidence from Kolkata Brothels.” JEL (Journal of Economic Literature), July, 2015.
- Jana Smarajit, Krishnangshu Roy, Protim Ray, Debashis Mondal, Sudhanshu Chakraborty, Shyam Sundar Jha. “A Community based study to assess adherence of Antiretroviral Therapy among People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in Kolkata, India.” IJRSS (International Journal of Research in Social Sciences), Vol.5 (3), 2015. Published online: 4 March, 2016.
- Varma, Ravi, Anand K. Das, Laurent le Danoise, Smarajit Jana, AnandiYuvraj, Reginald Watts, DeepmalaMahla, Sujata Khandekar. “Gender, Sexuality and Violence in the context of HIV and AIDS a Call to Action.” ICRW (International Center for Research on Women), 2016.
- Jana Smarajit, Protim Ray, Soma Roy, Joel Piduttia, Toorjo Ghoseand Samaita Jana. “Depression and Its Relation with HIV Risk and Social Well-Being among the Brothel-Based Female Sex Workers in Kolkata, India.”Community Med Public Health Care 4 (025), June, 2017.
- Ghosal Sayantan, Smarajit Jana, Anandi Mani, Sandip Mitra, Sanchari Roy. “Stigma, Discrimination and Self-Image: Evidence from Kolkata Brothels.”JEL (Journal of Economic Literature), O12, J15, D87, (July, 2017).
- Jana Smarajit, Protim Ray, Soma Roy, Abhijit Kadam, Raman R Gangakhedkar, B. B. Rewari, Stephen Moses and Marissa L Becker. “Successful integration of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis into a community-based HIV prevention program for female sex workers in Kolkata, India.”International Journal of STD & AIDS; Vol. 0(0) 1–10, 2021.