News Analysis India

Tag: sex workers

  • Maharashtra: Sex workers protest in Nagpur against barricading of area

    By PTI

    NAGPUR: Two groups of people protesting against and in favour of barricading a prominent red-light area here in Maharashtra came face to face on Sunday.

    However, timely intervention by the police prevented a potential clash.

    A group of sex workers was led by NCP leader Jwala Dhote while NCP corporator Abha Pandey led the other group supporting the police action to barricade the locality, known as Ganga-Jamuna.

    In the morning hours, Jwala Dhote and her supporters assembled in the area and placed a portrait of late MP Jambuwantrao Dhote.

    Sex workers tied Rakhis to the portrait and later came on the main road.

    Police personnel with a platoon of the Riot Control Police (RCP) was already deployed in the area.

    Soon after, corporator Pandey also arrived at the spot with her supporters and raised slogans backing the police.

    When both groups came face to face, senior police officers intervened and pacified the agitators.

    After discussing the issue with senior officers, both groups called off their agitations.

    Nagpur police on Saturday started a dialogue with sex workers for their rehabilitation after sealing the area on August 11.

    Representatives of various welfare bodies of government are also in favour of rehabilitating the sex workers.

    A police officer said many sex workers have already left the area after the police imposed section 144 of the CrPC on August 11 and sealed the entry of outsiders to all 12 lanes.

    A posse of 100 police personnel remains deployed in the area round-the-clock.

    Corporator Pandey told reporters that residents are fed up with sex workers.

    “The Ganga-Jamuna settlement should be removed and sex workers rehabilitated. Even minor girls are being forced into prostitution here. Our agitation will continue,” she said.

    Jwala Dhote alleged a lobby of some builders and political leaders was behind the entire police operation.

  • ‘Make Bengal safer for women’: Survivors of sex trafficking release poll manifesto 

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: In South 24 Parganas’s Basanti in the state of West Bengal, Ayesha* — a survivor of trafficking — runs a small stationery shop. Six years after she was trafficked as a minor, she was rescued from a brothel in Pune.

    Every day she strives towards making the state a safer space for women and children by raising awareness on the issue of trafficking.

    “I felt numb when I returned. What followed was years of emotional turmoil, threat from the traffickers, and stigma from neighbours, and relatives. Fighting the stigma was the most exhausting part of the process,” said Ayesha.

    As West Bengal awaits its 5th phase of polling, survivors of trafficking released a manifesto seeking a strong response mechanism to combat trafficking in the state.

    The 2019 National Crime Records Bureau data shows a total of 6,616  victims were trafficked across India. Among them, 2,914 were children and 3,702 adults.

    According to Save the Children’s analysis of 2018 NCRB data, West Bengal reported the second-highest number of children being trafficked at 8205. Kolkata and South 24 Parganas accounted for 60 per cent burden of the total cases, it said.

    Bandhanmukti Survivors’ Collective which aims to help in the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of survivors in its slew of demands reiterated there was a need to strengthen the anti-trafficking unit and interstate investigation. While there is a need for stringent punishment for offenders, the government should focus on providing community-based rehabilitation services to survivors.

    Providing livelihood opportunities and support to survivors’ self-help groups should be the priority of the new government, the survivors pointed out.

    Reshma*, another survivor from South 24 Parganas, said, “There is an urgent need for governments to focus on community-based rehabilitation. Survivors are stigmatised for years when they go out to work after being rescued. The formation of self-help groups helps them. Restoration of self-confidence of trafficked survivors is the first step towards rehabilitation and integration of survivors.”

    Subhasree Raptan, mentor at the collective pointed out the judiciary and law enforcement agencies need to work in tandem to clamp down on trafficking. “The need of the hour is a comprehensive law which gives due weightage to all the components, including compensation and rehabilitation. There can be systemic change only when political parties give due importance to the issue of trafficking.”

     The manifesto has reiterated the need for education of all and ensuring safe migration of children to clamp down on trafficking. Children should also be sensitised on the issue of gender-based violence, it highlighted.

    Recounting her ordeal during the years of rehabilitation, Sarada* pointed out the need to change the narrative around trafficking. “We appeal to the government to listen. The onus of rehabilitation is not on survivors. We appeal to all political parties to raise awareness on the issue of trafficking. They must ensure the children of survivors of trafficking do not drop out of school because of stigma or lack of resources. Our manifesto does not have any political colour.”

    “It has taken me years to find my identity again. Society and governments do not help us in any way,” added Sarada who now works as a small-scale tailor.

    * Names changed to protect identities.