In India, there are over 800,000 sex workers, and when combined with the unofficial figures, these numbers go far higher. Prostitution is regarded to be the oldest profession, yet the social stigma attached to this profession makes the identity of these workers invisible to society. According to Ms Lalitha S.A., the Vice President of Society For Participatory Integrated Development, getting funds is the biggest problem for sex workers because neither NGOs nor CSR groups want to fund for sex workers programme.
There are many brothels operating illegally in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The places are dark and dingy, the life of sex workers are at stake, and they are prohibited from practising their profession within 200 yards from a public place according to The Immoral Traffic (Suppression) Act of 1956. The government estimates that millions of sex workers in India are not only HIV affected but also suffer from various other diseases.
Sex workers are often expected to be in poorer health conditions. Most of them use old and dirty pieces of cloth that are often not appropriately washed during their periods leading to diseases such as urinary tract infections, vaginal infections and rashes that can lead to further complications. Menstrual hygiene management is not prioritized in this sector. With more than 10-15 people crammed in one room sex workers barely have access to proper sunlight and clean environment, further making the hygiene conditions horrible.
According to Samarjit Jana, in 2000, the usage of sanitary napkins among sex workers was 20 per cent, and now more than 85 per cent of them use sanitary napkins. However, the irony was when 12% of GST was imposed on sanitary napkins under the new tax regime. This further made it difficult for the sex workers who already deal with financial issues to buy a decent packet of pads for periods. There is a myth in the society that prostitutes earn a lot, and that is not true.
Sex workers are among those at highest risk of HIV in India. It is a chain of several factors that led to the suppression of voices of sex workers in India. The verbal, mental, physical abuse and sexual violence are linked to higher levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and lesser use of condoms.
The problems and challenges faced by the sex workers during the coronavirus pandemic have further deteriorated their lives. There’s no money for food, the stress of paying rent to the landlords and concern to feed the families and kids is the biggest problem. If any individual will try to understand these problems, then it is easily relatable to identify how worst would be the menstrual hygiene management with no money to spend on pads during the periods. No medical claims, police brutality and pressure from landlords have made the lives of sex workers terrible.
Sex workers of Kamathipura have been struggling with doubled rent by landlords, are forced to sleep on streets, no access to soaps, water and basic hygiene have landed them to a phase where they demand dignity and no discrimination due to their profession.
As a report by National Commission for Women (NCW) recognizes, “No woman suffers more discrimination in access to services, whether for health care, fertility regulations or safe abortions as much as women in sex work. However, sex workers are not just women and also include trans folks, men and minor girls abducted.”
Free legal aid is enshrined in the Indian constitution. The committee recommended that the state party should ensure free legal services to poor and marginalized and monitor the quality and impact of such services, but access to legal services for sex workers remains a pipe dream. Sex workers are not protected under the normal labour laws.
The National Commission for Women observed that accessing health care is a major concern for sex workers because of the immoral ‘whore image’ it is difficult to get good medical treatment. Other factors such as illiteracy, ignorance and fear of the medical establishment render them open to exploitation and extortion of money and resources.
What is really required is for the government to include these workers who are made invisible by the society to policies related to COVID 19 and reach out to them with support and medical aid. On a positive note, the National Network of Sex Workers (NNSW) comprising of 50,000 female, transgender and male sex workers prepared a list of sex workers in immediate red of help and sent 700 food kits to different parts of the country.
The age-old prejudice against sex workers can be solved by first, accepting them in society and demanding stringent laws against people who are involved in trafficking. Trafficking is a criminal offence and should not be confused with sex work. Features such as poverty and inequality are other reasons for people to enter sex work and indicate inadequate “free choice”. It is important to ensure the participation of sex work organizations in suggesting and amending policies related to legal and health-related relevant services for the lives of sex workers.
Organizing campaigns related to periods and conducting surveys can only work well and hold some meaning if the sex workers actually have full access to pads, menstrual cups, cloth pads or whatever suits them and clean place to wash and change during periods.