Raids in red light area irk the NGOs

Pune: While raids were never new for sex workers in red light areas, this time long hours of ‘Nakabandi’ has affected their business and customers. Activists have stated that crackdown by police in last six months has only caused humiliation to sex workers and customers at Budhwar Peth. 

The activists for sex workers’ rights have cried foul on the entire procedures of raids, which have extensively taken place in the past six months. They have claimed that although, the purpose of raids was to rescue minors and Bangladeshi girls, according to Saheli NGO, none of the rescued women were minors or Bangladeshi. Instead they were in the area for over a decade.

The fact finding team included Saheli, Mahila Sarvangeen Utkarsh Mandal (MASUM) and People’’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), who had conducted the study between May 20-22. 

Fact-finding report
The survey holds data of individual and group meetings with sex workers in different parts of Budhwar Peth, as well as with police and other stakeholders in the area. The report was presented by executive director of Saheli Sangh, Tejaswi Sevekari, member of Saheli, Mahadevi Madar MASUM Founder, Manisha Gupte and National Network of Sex Workers founder, Meena Seshu.

The fact finding report has stated that there were several contradictions between what the police and the sex workers said about the details of the crackdown. The police mentioned that the raids and combing operation were carried out to identify underage girls and Bangladeshi women, on tips received by them. 

Bad business
Many customers now ask sex workers to meet outside Budhwar Peth, which proves to be a costly affair for sex workers and increases physical risk. Gupte said, “This could risk their safety. When they are doing their business here, sex workers can alarm others if anything was wrong, but going out for business doesn’t guarantee their safety.”

Nonetheless, Seshu said that these sex workers are further humiliated when rescue homes demand only a family member can bail them out of that place. “Most of the families of sex workers aren’t aware about their work. Many families were devastated to know the reality when they received calls,” said Seshu. Lack of transparency and accountability in the process of rescue and rehabilitation of sex workers from Budhwar Peth is a problem, the report said.

RTI query 
“We have filed a Right to Information (RTI) application to know how many sex workers have been so far rescued and rehabilitated, and also about facilities provided at the rehabilitation centre or how they are being counselled. We have absolutely no data on how many have been rescued so far. Nevertheless, we always fail to track the progress about what happens after sending sex workers to rehabilitation centres,” said Sevekari.

“The RTI was filed a month back and the response is awaited,” she said.

Police version
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone 1, Suhas Bawache said, “Our main motive was to track down minors and Bangladeshi girls, if any, and we had found a few of them. Secondly, we wanted to ensure no new sex worker enter the area, which we have successfully managed to achieve. This exercise was also effective in curbing criminal activities in the area.”

He said many criminals would come drunk and damage properties. “Also, during the night time, the number of sex workers would double. During our survey in December, only 2,100 sex workers were registered in this area. But at night, the number would swell up to 4,000 sex workers, who would provide pick-up services. These were some of the factors which required attention and action. Hence, the night Nakabandi was tightened,” said Bawache.

‘debts are piling up’
“Hardly one or two customers come these days. We are in debt now. We take loans from private money lenders. At times, we also take loans from old customers , who help us with 
Rs 300-500 cash for the time being. Currently, even the repayments are managed by taking additional loans from reliable sources,” said a sex worker in Budhwar Peth

Unsavoury facts
- Almost all sex workers arrested or rescued during the combing operation were adult Indian women, many in the age group of 25 to 35 years -- not minors or Bangladeshi women, as claimed by police.
- They were forcibly rescued in spite of resistance and providing valid identity proofs to the police officers at the time of the raids, stated sex workers in the report.
- The report stated that making the identity of sex workers and customers viral is moral policing. It is also a violation of their right to privacy and the right to dignity. Consequently, even regular customers are now afraid of visiting Budhwar Peth.