Paid work - making clothes - is a path back to normality, they say, a way to feel useful, not used, and learn how to fit into society after being trafficked underground.
“Working here I feel empowered, relaxed and happy,” said Fer, a 42-year-old former prostitute from Brazil whose name has been changed as she wished to remain anonymous.
Fer said working alongside other trafficked women in a simple, white, inner-city workshop had helped her move on and put the past where it belonged.
The women busily cut patterns and stitch garments, chatting as they work. Outside is the commotion of the Raval district – a hive of Pakistani grocers, poor immigrant families and tourists who cram the narrow cobblestone streets and mediaeval squares.
Inside is a women-only sanctuary.
The Dona Kolors clothing brand was born in 2012 to help women like Fer regain confidence and start afresh.
The clothes are simple, boxy pieces in linen and cotton aimed at 30- and 40-something women.
It is a social enterprise - a business that aims to do good - that was set up by a local Catholic organization, El Lloc de la Dona, Catalan for ‘Women’s Place’, which has for decades helped prostitutes in this crime-ridden corner of the city."
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