Maharashtra: 99% of commercial sex workers in Pune look for alternative livelihood

As Pune merged as India's hit of Covid-19 pandemic, 99 per cent of commercial sex workers are now wanting to take up alternative livelihood options, if given an opportunity.

Over the period of lockdown, the demand for sex workers has dried down forcing them to take loans for survival.

According to a sample survey conducted by Asha Care Trust, a forum that works towards the welfare of sex workers, over 85% of the workers have taken loans and over 98% of them have taken it from their brothel owners, managers and moneylenders, subjecting themselves to further exploitation.

Read: Coronavirus Impact: West Bengal govt comes to aid of nearly 35 lakh sex workers

Budhwar Peth is India’s third-largest red-light area which nearly houses 700 brothels and around 3,000 commercial sex workers.

Around 300 - around 10% of commercial sex workers in Budhwar Peth - were part of the survey for the study.

What is more alarming is that 87% of these workers stated that even before the pandemic struck, their incomes were not sufficient to support themselves or their families.

Key factors like lack of education and employable skills compel them to depend on one source of income i.e. earning through this trade and remain trapped in the vicious circle. Majority of the workers now want to explore alternative sources of livelihood and get away from the trade.

Delving deeper into their plight, the report explores several socio-economic factors of commercial sex workers and here are the key highlights around 82% of the workers fall in the age group of 25 to 45 years. Some of them were forced into the trade when they were a minor.

Around 92.7% stated that they fear resuming sex work but are also crippled with the fear of starvation. Harassment from brothel managers has led them to worry about their daily bread and butter.

While 68% believe that the sex trade will pick up in the days to come, 99% stated that they will take up any alternative livelihood option if given an opportunity.

“Covid-19 epidemic has presented us with an opportunity to create a mechanism to rehabilitate sex workers in mainstream society. Our survey suggests almost all of them are looking at alternative sources of livelihood in Budhwar Peth region. For the women who opt-out of sex trade, trafficking victim relief fund should be provided to help them pay-off their debt and get started with a new chapter,” said Shilpa Shetty, president of Asha Care Trust, in a press statement.

Extending support to the initiative, one of the representatives of Freedom Firm, a local NGO that works in the area said it is high time that the authorities and NGOs should view this unprecedented time as an opportunity to act quickly for providing alternative livelihood to sex workers who have faced a lot hardships already.

A delegation led by Asha Care Trust along with representatives of other organisations like Shailesh Badhai from Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samiti, Yogesh Bhokre of Maharashtra Itak Kamgar Sangathana, social worker Pratibha Shinde, Fayyaz Sheikh of Pune Jilha Grahak Sanrakshan Samiti, Bhola Vanjale and Advocate Vidya Pedankar met the Mayor, Mr. Murlidhar Mohol, and submitted the report.

The community members also plan to meet other district and state-level decision-makers to help them take the initiative forward and provide requisite support to the sex workers in this difficult time.