The venomous, many-headed virus, in its indiscriminate torrent, swallowed livelihoods whole, especially those deeply tied to human contact바카라travel and tourism were the first to fall prey, so too did restaurants and bars. These are lately showing signs of flickering back to life, buoyed by the imperatives of a 바카라new norÂÂmal바카라. Yet, an industry whose stock in trade is that most intimate of human acts, its purveyors denizens of a shaÂÂÂÂdÂÂowÂland, cowers atill in darkness and neglect.
The red-light area of Gokulnagar in Sangli, Maharashtra, lies frozen in inactivity even at 8 pm, when it normally heaÂves with people. The empty streets echo only with sounds of police cars out on Covid duty. A few souls, intent on seeÂking the usual services, slink away at their sight. As night falls, the women at the doorsteps retire to their rooms. AnoÂther grim day draws to an end. Sex workers across India share their desperation.
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With no work, life has been harsh in the past eight months, says Kiran Deshmukh, a sex worker based in Sangli. After being shut for over six months, brothels opened in September. 바카라But it is picking up very slowly,바카라 says Kiran, president of the National Network of Sex Workers (NNSW), a collective led by workers. Masks and sanitisers, as elsewhere, are made necessary accoutrements of the trade, yet have helped little to inspire confidence. Around 600 inmÂates would stay in the large establishment where Kiran lives. Intense hardship바카라inability to pay rent being the obvious outcome바카라has forced many to return to their villages.
The community is ravaged, says Sudhir Patil, an MSM (men who have sex with men) sex worker. With Sangli a stop on the highway connecting Maharashtra and Karnataka, his clients were mostly truck drivers. As Covid restrictions have hit traffic, incomes are gone. It is a struggle to get life back on track, adhering to all protective measures, says Patil.
바카라When HIV raged, we started using condoms. Now, masks and other precautions are compulsory. Customers are allÂotted only a limited time, and kissing is a big no,바카라 says Patil, who is associated with the NGO Muskan. Though Patil has moved his business to online and video calls, not everyone can afford a smartphone, he says. Connectivity and privacy issues are also a deterrent.
If the pandemic has exposed the utter vulnerability of our working class, among the hardest hit were 바카라invÂisible바카라 sex workers excluded from government schemes. For an industry barely acknowledged, even a modest trickle of the relief package announced by the Centre did not reach them. Their lives are lit by the red light of ineÂligibility and moral damnation.
바카라We survived the lockdown with the help of Sampada Gramin Mahila Sanstha (SANGRAM, an NGO), which fed us and were our lifeline,바카라 says Kiran. After months of unrelenting doom, the Supreme Court took cognizance of the plight of sex workers in September following a petition from NGOs. The SC ordered state governments to provide dry rations to sex workers.
Amid the gloom, the National Human Rights Commission바카라s (NHRC) advisory in October, recognising sex workers as informal workers, brought some cheer to the community. The advisory directed various ministries to issue temporary documents so that workers can access welfare schemes and health services. For many, it was the culmination of a long-drawn struggle. Meena Seshu of SANGRAM says it바카라s a significant step towÂards autonomy and dignity of women. 바카라It is a huge step; this will end exploitation, they will be entitled to government schemes, medical and legal aid바카라Š,바카라 she says.
However, the advisory has met with stiff, albeit rational, opposition. While social activist and founder of the anti-Âtrafficking and advocacy organisation Prajwala, Sunitha Krishnan, demanÂded its withdrawal, saying it will legitimise sex work, others favÂoured criÂmÂinalising middlemen and brothel owners. On November 11, the NHRC issued a modified advisory, retÂaining the status of sex workers as 바카라women at work바카라, but removing the registration clause as informal workers. The new advisory says that such workers may be provided benefits on humanitarian grounds that are entitled to informal workers.
Many activists and sex workers uniÂons have welcomed the modified advisory. 바카라Doing away with registration doesn바카라t make much of a difference. They are still under 바카라women at work바카라 category바카라, says Seshu. 바카라It바카라s about dignity of work. We are regarded as 바카라immÂoral바카라 people. With informal worker status, this will change. We can receive benefits, as many of us don바카라t possess ration or Aadhar cards or other proofs of identity,바카라 says Kiran.
Ayeesha Rai, a Delhi-based sex worker from West Bengal, agrees that it would help end the fetid stigma. Like her colleagues, Ayeesha, a NNSW coordinator, is surviving on loans taken on exorbitant interest rates for the past six months. Ayeesha, who took up sex work of her own volition, doesn바카라t advocate legalising sex work, while abhorring the perception of sex workers as victims to be rehabilitated. 바카라Our demÂand is for decriminalisation, which will stop the abuse and expÂloitation. We want safe working conditions and infÂormal work status will ensure it,바카라 she says.
Activists also argue that a clear distinction is needed between sex work and trafficking바카라a grave crime. Nisha Gulur of the Karnataka Sex Workers Union says that sex work should be treated like any other job. 바카라It바카라s an adult choice and they take it up willingly,바카라 she says, adding that under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, sex work is not illegal.
Devi, a sex worker from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, also demands a delink between trafficking and sex work. 바카라The NHRC advisory is a necessary recognition,바카라 she says. However, she dispels the argument that formal recognition of sex work will legitimise middlemen and brothels. 바카라Brothel owners and pimps are part of the system. They give us a safe place and protect us from abuse and harassment,바카라 she says.
Devi entered the profession at the hard end of a bad marriage, to fend for her two children. Now, her educated daughter and son respect their mother바카라s choice of work. 바카라I have no qualms or regret. It is not only about money, but fulfilment of my physical needs too. I was able to educate my children like any other government servant.바카라
Most sex workers in Andhra are neck-deep in debt and are unable to find an altÂernative livelihood, says Meera Raghavendra of Women바카라s Initiatives. 바카라Though the government gives sops to the poor, sex workers are never included. It is discriminatory,바카라 she says.
The suffering endured by Jayashree, a sex worker from Kerala, is typical of many. With her village in Thrissur under lockdown, Jayashree, the sole breadwinner of an eight-member family, survives on cadged borrowings. 바카라My clients are scared and I don바카라t want to take risks. Many clients have lost jobs,바카라 she laments. In her mid-50s, Jayashree is clueless about finding altÂernative means of subsistence.
With the NHRC advisory giving a semblance of dignity to sex work, JayaÂshree and others hope the coming generations will respect their work and treat them as respectable humans.
