In South Asia, the intersection of culture, class, gender, and access to education
addresses the unique interpretations of disability which is related to the social
environment. The metanarratives encased in the study elicit global concerns of social
exclusion, stigmatisation, marginalisation as well as exploitation of the weak and the
vulnerable. The red-light district of Kalighat is located in a neighbourhood of south
Kolkata and comprises of migrant women, not only from the nearby villages but also
from Bangladesh and Nepal. Most of the women and children are sold into prostitution
by their families and friends, whilst others come into the city to seek work and are forced into the flesh trade. The city of Kolkata has emerged as a hub for the trafficking of girls. The study explores the pivotal role of inclusion that is transforming the lives of
children living in the red -light district of Kalighat in the city of Kolkata, India. The
‘safe space’ provided by the stakeholders enables the children of Kalighat to complete
their education. This ensures that the children are not harvested back into the human
trafficking industry. The qualitative enquiry sheds light on the lived-in realities of the
informants. The findings from the study reinforces that ‘inclusion’ is imperative
towards realising dreams, aspirations and building bridges within societies to attain
equality for every person everywhere. Education is a great leveler only if societal
conditions are conducive for children to reach their potential. Hence, inclusion is
symbiotic to social justice and imperative for accessibility to education. The success
stories reinforce that there must be sustainable human resources to create opportunities for women and children who live in the shadows and are often overlooked. It signals that intervention needs to be contextualised in order to meet, address and overcome the challenges that hinders the realisation of human rights.

A qualitative enquiry based on constructive-interpretive approach to enable us to comprehend the tensions present and help in the attempt to interpret the socio-structuralworld (Law, 2004). The ontological positioning underpins the social constructions in which race, class and the socio-economic background play a critical role in the life of the informants. Semi-structured interviews with both informants and stakeholders was conducted to capture the emerging world-view of the informants and the new ideas that are generated through the interviews (Merriam, 1997). The field work was carried out in Kolkata in 2017-2018.

The results underpins that inclusion is symbiotic to social justice and imperative for accessibility to education. It is not only about each learner being valued and respectedbut each individual person valued for irrespective of their socio-economic background,race, ethnicity, caste and religion is not discriminated. Hence, inclusion can be seen tantamount to social justice which in turn entails the absolution of stigmatizing labels. Therefore, inclusion is a process and not an end result. If we are to ensure that education is a developmental right for all then it is imperative to tackle the root problems, hindrances and challenges. This study reveals that poverty is the common denominator which often restricts the social and economic benefits of education reaching especially those who are deprived of three-square meals a day or fall below the poverty line. In order for inclusive education to work its magic one has to ensure that basic needs off every man, woman and child are met i.e. food, clothing and shelter. The safe space offered by the Kalighat Morning Club was a springboard for the children to reach out to their dreams, aspirations and give vent to their aesthetic skills.

Bhalla, N. (2016, May 12). South Asian nations unite over anti-child trafficking drive, helpline planned. U.S. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indiachildren- trafficking/south-asian-nations-unite-over-anti-child-trafficking-drivehelpline- planned-idUSKCN0Y31EO Carter, B. (2015). Benefits to society of an inclusive societies approach (revised version).GSDRC Applied Knowledge Services. Helpdesk Research Report. https://gsdrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/HDQ1232.pdf. Mcdermott, R. F., & Kripol, J. J. (2003). Encountering Kali: In the Margins, at the center in the West. Motilal Banarsidass. Gill, H. (2014). Living in the Shadows: An exploration of life in the red light districts of Kolkata. http://porterfolio.net/uploads/article/file/6273/Al_Jazeera__Living_in_the_Shadows.pdf Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods Third Edition SagePublications. Rao, S & Kalyanpur, M. (2015). South Asia and Disability Studies: Time for a Conversation. In Rao, S & Kalyanpur Ed. South Asia & Disability Studies Redefining Boundaries & Extending Horizons M Peter Lang Publishing Inc. New York Stonehill, A. (2006). Sex Workers in the City of Joy. The Independent. https://indypendent.org/2006/06/sex-workers-in-the-city-of-joy/ Shakespeare, T. (2006). The Social Model of Disability. In Davis, L.J. (red.) (2006).The disability studies reader. (2. ed.) London: Routledge. UNESCO. (2020). Inclusion and education: All means All. https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/report/2020/inclusion UN. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. New York, NY Walker, M. (2006). Towards a capability‐based theory of social justice for education policy‐making In Journal of Education Policy. Taylor & Francis. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02680930500500245?scroll=top &need Access=true.