Kolkata: Just after a day when the Supreme Court said prostitution is a profession and sex workers are equally entitled to dignity and protection under the law, an organisation of sex workers collective in Kolkata has expressed their hope for a better future in the country.
The organisation, named Durbar Mahila Committee is one of the oldest collectives that is formed by thousands of sex workers.
The committee advocates for the rights of sex workers in Kolkata.
The members of the committee have expressed their happiness after the apex court’s order. They also hoped that soon they as well as their work will be given equal respect as any other citizen.
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Along with the organisation in Kolkata, few sex workers in Assam have expressed their hopes.
Speaking on the topic, a sex worker from Guwahati on conditions of anonymity said, “We have heard about the court’s order and I think that now we should be given the rights like everyone else. We have been involved in the profession by our own consent as we could not find any other jobs.”
She said that it was tough for her to run a family as she had lost her husband long back. However, she did not reveal how she got into the profession.
She further informed that she was a single mother and although she was into this profession that is seen as taboo by society, she still wants a better future for her daughter.
Another sex worker said that most women involved in the profession in Guwahati have joined voluntarily and were not forced.
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She added that most of them joined owing to financial conditions.
She added that most of the time they are harassed by police even when most were consenting adults.