In India, more than five million women earn a livelihood by offering sexual services to customers. The ˇ°oldest professionˇ± is not treated as work, but a dirty and immoral lifestyle considered taboo, resulting in denial of basic rights for both sex workers and their families.?
The uncertain legal status attached to their work and identity further "invisibilises" them as citizens with associated rights and entitlements.?
In the wake of upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, Indian sex workers are not only seeking decriminalisation of their work but also want inclusion in decision making and the right to life of dignity.?
The All India Network of Sex Workers (AINSW) has released a charter of demand for all parties ahead of the election. The demands is to treat their work like a regular job, included in the work schedule of the labour ministry, full access to welfare, pension provisions and their children to not experience hurdles in school admissions and other institutions.
These workers are the citizens of this country and are seeking access to their basic rights as enshrined in the constitution.?
ˇ°We want more inclusion and representation in the society. We run families and collectively have more than 20 million dependents on us. Our children are ill-treated in schools because of the stigma attached to our jobs. The first thing the government needs to do is to create awareness about our work. Children of sex workers are unable to get equal opportunities in development programmes. Political parties and policy makers should ensure that sex workers and their family members should not face discrimination,ˇ± says Kusum, a 38-year-old sex worker from Delhi.
BCCL
Women and transgender sex workers also want to be included in pension programmes, given the nature of their work, which forces them to opt out of this profession after the age of 45.
Indian sex workers have seen little participation in policy and decision making, especially when the policy pertains to their welfare. ˇ°We seek representation and participation in various committees at national, state, district and takula level focusing on health, education, awareness, welfare, women and child development programmes, and everything else that has a bearing on our marginalised community,ˇ± says Reena, a 32-year-old sex worker based in Delhi.
Harassment by police is another issue against which the community is fighting and all of this stems from lack of awareness. The sex workers say that vagueness in Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956 (ITPA) results in police often arresting them and putting them behind bars and in terrible shelter homes.
BCCL
While human trafficking remains a colossal issue, more often than not, full-fledged sex workers are taken into custody and rendered to shelter homes against their will.?
Amit, the national coordinator for AINSW, asserts that all political parties must recognise the demands of sex workers in their election manifestos. ˇ°They are the citizens of this country as much as any other person irrespective of their profession. And as citizens, they have the right to vote and elect their representative. They are seeking assurance from political parties, and if politicians fail to recognise their rights and demands, they have no other option but to vote NOTA (None Of The Above),ˇ± he adds.
The sex workers have been protesting for years for their rights and have been, time and again, conveniently side-lined by policy makers. Petitions have been filed in the courts and engagements via public speeches have been made, but there is little effort from the government to ensure them access to basic rights. Electoral politics and parties coming up with manifestos have largely been devoid of rights and initiatives for sex workers.