MUMBAI: Covid-19 hit all sectors, including the world's oldest profession. Seven months into the pandemic, sex workers are worried they will be further sucked into a vortex of debt and poverty. Around 87% sex workers in the red-light area of Hanuman Tekdi in Bhiwandi want to opt out of commercial sex work and explore alternatives, according to a survey by Shree Sai Seva Sanstha, an NGO that focuses on welfare of sex workers.
To throw them a lifeline that will pull them out of the cycle of unemployment and starvation, the NGO has offered sex workers training in employable skills such as tailoring and diya-making to ensure a steady source of income.
Bhiwandi is one of Asia's largest warehouse hubs. Most major multinational companies and e-commerce giants have their warehouses in Bhiwandi.
The story of Hanuman Tekdi's red-light area runs parallel with the growth story of the town. With industrial activity mushrooming, women from other cities and countries were lured here on the pretext of jobs and then forced into prostitution. According to the NGO survey, of the total 500 plus sex workers in Hanuman Tekdi, 56% are foreign nationals. A majority of the women are from Bangladesh, accounting for 46% of the total community, while the rest are from Nepal. These women were either trafficked across the borders or they migrated for work and eventually got trapped in the flesh trade, the survey found.
"What looms large is the dark reality of choice. A majority of them are not into sex work by choice. A whopping 78% were either forced into prostitution by someone they knew like a relative, friend or even their husbands or financial circumstances drove them to the flesh trade. During our study we found 60% of the sex workers in Hanuman Tekdi have taken loans from informal sources in the neighbourhood such as shopkeepers, local money-lenders and brothel managers," said NGO founder, Swati Singh.
Rosie (name changed) says she was initiated into the sex trade at a young age to support her poverty-stricken family. "I lost out on the opportunity to get educated. I am thankful I will now get a chance to develop skill-sets needed for employment. I am eager to start a new chapter in life."
The NGO has also made some recommendations based on its study. It has suggested policy-makers, with support from various NGOs, should formulate an alternative employment plan for local sex workers to provide relief amid the current pandemic scenario and also help them opt out of commercial sex work. The government should allocate a budget and provide basic skill training programmes.
The study has also recommended that women who want to start their own ventures should be given loans and other support.