Rashmi (name changed) is a 27-year-old sex worker, who is struggling to make ends meet. She was out of work for over three months during the lockdown, but returned to the streets recently. “I know that I am risking contracting COVID-19, but I can also not go hungry. I have no other means of livelihood,” she said.
Marginalised communities are always the worst hit during a crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected sex workers, who have largely been ignored. In desperation, many like Rashmi have resumed work after lockdown restrictions were eased, and live in fear of contracting COVID-19.
Sleuths from the Women and Narcotics Wing of the Bengaluru police recently conducted two raids and rescued 27 women who were working in a brothel in a two-storey independent house in Puttenahalli. The women hailed from different parts of the country.
In the second raid, five women working in a lodge at Yeshwantpur, were rescued. “We are surprised that it seems like business as usual. Both the women and their clients run a high risk of contracting COVID-19. The police teams that raided these two places had to wear face masks, face shields and gloves to protect themselves,” a senior police official said.
Geeta, coordinator, Sadhana Mahila Sangha, working for the rights and welfare of street based sex workers, said while the State government had announced assistance to various professionals like drivers and barbers, it had failed to even acknowledge sex workers. “The pandemic has completely snatched their livelihood. Yet, the government has not come to their aid. Probably, this is also a time for providing alternative job opportunities for the community,” she said, demanding the government announce an aid package to the community.
For the most part, sex workers have been ignored by people and groups offering aid. “Even during lockdown, very few philanthropists thought of sex workers. We were able to distribute very few ration kits,” said Geetha.
Lakshmi (name changed), another sex worker who has resumed work, said it had been three months since she had paid rent for her house. With her landlord breathing down her neck every day and threatening to evict her, she paid him an advance. “I took loans and somehow survived. But paying rent has turned into a big problem for most sex workers. If we are evicted, we will become more vulnerable,” she said.
However, some of them are trying to adapt to the pandemic and have taken sex work online through WhatsApp and online payment gateways. “We have come across sex workers who moved online during the lockdown, and continue providing online audio and video services on phone. But many of them are not tech-savvy and do not know how to find clients online,” Ms. Geeta said.