Greetings to everyone, today here we have Barathi
she is a secretary for the Sex Workers Union in Karnataka.
Sex Workers Union in Karnataka
There are too many problems for sex workers and
and we all talk about prostitution.
prostitution itself is legal, but overall we need to regulate prostitution
Like, solicitation or brothel and there is lots to talk about all this.
and the suitable person to talk was Barathy as she is the secretary.
Today she is going to share a lot of information.
Our sex workers
are not only girls, but we have three categories.
Sex Workers Union, we have
male, female, and transgender sex workers
three categories workers are there.
All three categories
do the same job as sex workers.
Sex workers also have some crisis
Hence we have formed a Union
and its been 11 years since we formed the Union
We may be anywhere,
but we are fighting for our rights in
Four districts, Bidar, Yadgir,
Hassan and Bengaluru rural districts we are working. Currently, we have 3016 members. Brothel, is going on in Maharashtra, Pune,
Mumbai and also Kolkata.
Its was also at Bellary, but now it has stopped.
DC area was given
, by the DC itself, but now its not there.
Brothel have owners, they keep five to six girls
and run the business.
There the costumers come and go
and there its like an area given to them
which includes health checkups for them.
Its about the age, anyone above 18 years are into brothel
We are never against brothel.
In brothel,
women should not be harassed. They should have health checkups,
they should have food on time, and what they earn there
3\4 of the money should reach them and this
is our goal.
Our costumers include, farmers, shepherds,
auto drivers, bus drivers and all category
of costumers come, nothing in particular.
We have to much problem with goondas.
Goondas,
speak to us and pick up one of them
and takes them to their place
and once they go there they are five men or six men
and they need to listen to the goondas, if not they will hit.
If the girl does not drink (alcohol)
they force them to drink or others etc
They harass us a lot.
Income, depends on the age. From 19 years old
and in their 20s, they are paid 1000 rupees for once
or 500 rupees. After 30 years old
they pay around 300 to 400 rupees and
for 40 and above years old its 200 to 300 rupees. These are the rates they get.
It is all about age, colour, personality.
Trafficking, is almost done
village sides and girls who are uneducated
those girls do it for their daily bread.
when those girls approach for jobs, they
take them for household work, but
instead they take them and leave them at brothel houses.
if not, they themselves contact costumers
and through that customers come.
Girls are also taken for daily-wages work, but
are also harassed at such places.
At the beginning,
they fall in love,
and the boy leaves the girl in between for no reason.
Again the girl falls in love with someone else,
even that boy cheats on her. When this keeps happening repeatedly
a girl gets fed-up of life and accepts life as a prostitute.
They can be Bengalis, Orissa, and also people come from other states and countries
because they would be earning less,
so they change their location so that they can earn more money.
Brokers,
take them (girls) with a promise of getting household jobs but
once they come for house work,
they are cheated and
girls will be left to work as sex workers. They are cheated.
Even in the case of love, they get cheated
and this is how a girl journey starts.
More than the common man, the sex workers
are more powerful, because their health is very important.
Only if they are healthy they can earn money
and this is what all sex workers know.
Sex workers itself gives information HIV and other medicals conditions etc.
All the information is given to female sex worker
and that is why they safeguard their health.
Once if their body is effected with HIV
their whole life they cannot be happy
so they handle very careful.
Government in the recent times, the past 4-years
they first introduced
20 thousand scheme called Chethana loan.
First it was called Sex Workers loan.
Several times we have told the government
not to use the word SEX WORKERS
and hence in the recent times they changed it to Chethana
and was give only 20 thousand.
Government was giving 20 thousand, only so that they can quit being a sex worker
this was why the government was giving 20 thousand.
The 20 thousand which was given to us was of now use,
even to keep a petty shop
now a days we need close to 1 lakh
because the petty has to be built, utensils to be brought,
gas has to be brought etc, all this has to be done.
Even to raise cattle we cannot do it with 20 thousand
because we need to feed the cattle,
need a shelter for the cattle, 20 thousand is not sufficient.
When we opposed it, now its increase to 50 thousand.
50 thousand loan, and in that we have 25 thousand as subsidy
and 25 thousand has to be returned. Before they use to issue the loan for 10 members,
now they have made it only for 5 members,
so that they completely change their field from being a sex worker
and change their mind to take up others fields of work.
This is what the governments aim.
As per my experience,
as a sex worker union
I have filled several applications
first for 1 lakh we submitted. When we approached the bank
the application was sanctioned
when I went to ask,
they objected saying that we do not give loan for sex workers and sex workers cant pay the loan.
Hence, the loan was not given.
They look at us in that way because the society looks at us in that way. We are unable to change the society
As a sex worker we need to go the MLA,
and get the signature from the MLA.
We cannot stand in front of the MLA putting up a board saying that we are sex workers
We argued, If you have to give loan, then give it through the organisation, if not dont give us the loan.
Now we have received through the organisation.
MALE VOICE: They put obscenity case and false cases on you'll
and also if you'll are just walking by they tell youll have drugs etc
they put such false cases on you'll and harass you'll
and collect money (hafta) from you'll.
We are still facing these problems till date.
They come as customers to us, and use us for free sex.
They again put false cases on us.
Not sure if they need to pay a certain amount to the government, hence they
put false clams like selling weed (ganja), robbery, and selling minor girls into prostitution.
They just want to file a case
and just for that case they will do anything.
They are free with us and also put false cases on us
and also do their daily collections (role call) from girls.
When they find a girl and arrest her, she needs to pay a fine, but a receipt will not be given. They take 500 rupees and let us out
Punishment is given when we run a brothel
when we are caught the first time we are excused
Second time we are caught we pay a fine.
Third time we are caught we are imprisoned for 6 months
with 10 to 15 thousand fine.
If below 18 years old get caught, the punishment is more severe.
Girls come as sex workers, because of their problems
to take care of their parents or children.
If is husband is a drunkard and she has to take up the household responsibilities.
When they come, it may be for brothel or pimp (brokers)
They send customers ,
the customers are charged 2000 rupees, but we receive only 500 rupees
and they earn 1500 rupees as income .
In brothel also, there are no proper facilities.
If they arrest a girl and is released with the help of person,
that person would keep her in the brothel, in return the release from jail.
Until she repays her debt, she will work in brothel.
We wanted to start Niraparadhi Karna (an organisation) was our aim
because we do have sex worker rights, and want to claim for those rights
we deserve certain rights and its our dream to achieve it.
We are just working toward to fulfil those dreams.
We are still unsuccessful in achieving it.
ITPA has 20 sections on us.
In that 4 sections have severe punishment on us.
If under 18 years old is caught as a sex worker
such cases will be put on us
Any child under 18 dependent on their mother, such cases will be on us.
Those who earn from sex work, and save money for their children
that money should not been taken, that is a rule.
Solicitation, calling people is also a case.
Brothel: Two people are in the car, apart from that if there is a third person, even that is a case as brothel.
Again and again getting caught, once, twice, and the third time they will be removed from that place
All these are strict rules on us. Also 200 meters
there may be a church,
another 200 meters there may be a temple,
another 200 meters there may be a mosque, another 200 meters there may be a school or a hospital.
From a common mans place
200 meters we need to go
after every 200 meters there may be a church, temple, mosque
all this is under the rules which we have.
MALE VOICE: You told us about Chethana program, can you tell us what more facilities can you expect from the government.
Chethana program, they just 20 to 50 thousand, but that is not sufficient for us in any ways.
They need to give a house, not considering us a sex workers
but considering us a common person or how they give the poor people
same way they can give sex worker girls a house.
Also at old age, their children put them out of their house,
from now after 30 to 35 years, sex workers do not get customers
customers keep reducing, then
we can be given pension.
Education for children of sex workers,
because what they are earning is for the children food, clothes, house rent
this is all their money is going to and also good education.
They are working for better education for children.
importantly, health facilities should be given to sex workers,
because, if I visit a hospital, and tell I am a sex worker
the way they treat us is completely different.
Sex worker girls have three problems, STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections)
White discharge is common,
we need medicines for all that.
If I tell I am a sex worker
they ask to many questions as to how much you earn, how many clients you get a day
and how much they give a day, these are the questions they ask us. We don't need this.
What a common person gets is what our girls also should get
We also need ESI and PF.
We get variety of customers, and we cannot tell no, and if its brothel we cannot tell no to costumers.
We need to give them money and we need money.
Drunkards come, dirty people come
if costumers come we need to server them we have no other option. We cannot tell no to costumers.
Sex worker is a work
what I earn is for my stomach.
Doctors, engineers, auto drivers, or bus drivers
everyone works,
No one degrades their work
same way even we give service
they give us money, and this is our work.
We agree and do our work.
At the most cops will arrest us
and take us for no reason, we know because we have handled many situations
Even I have got beaten a lot by cops
in the year 2007 because
i was walking on the road and coming
but not as a sex worker, at that time I did not have so much knowledge
While i was walking they stopped me and
took me to the station. At the station
one person asked me on the chair, and the other person told (why are you telling that B***h to sit on the chair ask her to sit down)
I have not even got water to drink.
They have hit me so badly, that I had blood clots.
They use to ask (B***h how many men do you have with you, who is your teacher/boss.
They have hit me a lot.
Its the same way for a the girls.
At one time it had become a routine.
They just knock the door and pull the girls and arrest even without the lady police.
They pull them by their dress and arrest them.
Even if the girls requested to change their clothes and come they never waited,
Cops do not have the rights to hit, but still they hit.
We have raised this several times, but still they hit.
They arrest us but also take money from us
They even take the money which we have earned from sex work
and they tell us if you tell anyone about this again we will arrest you if we see you anywhere.
This is how they scare girls.
When we get involved in any other organisation or meetings,
they (cops) tell we will arrest even you. Shame on you to do work like this.
These are all the things which happen. I request these changes take place in the government.
I would like to tell the society, even we are people like you'll, women like you'll.
Because you'll have all the facilities
but we do not have them
hence we have come out to take care of our parents and children
Why, because its not our fate, its a fate which we have got from else where
being a sex worker.
Many women curse us because we spoil your husbands,
we are not the once spoiling them, this is just our work.
It is our service which we give them and we earn money,
apart from that we do not harass them in anyways,
but instead clients harass us. None of the girls harass.
I would like to tell the society, to see us as you see yourself
Why see us like prostitutes,
We are also like you'll
Being a sex worker is our job.
I would only request you'll to please see us as you see others.
Thank you so much Barathy. I did not know so many information,
She has given us lot of good information
actual my age group many people do not know this.
We are just stuck in a bubble, such as this educated world
like computer science technology
speak about engineering
but now days no one talks about such things.
Even media TRP will be low, so such things they will not publish it.
These are all these basics in our society.
When we set right the fundamentals, everything become right.
What do you feel, please drop it in the comment section.
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Barathy, thanks a lot. Thanks to you, because
you have heard our story so much and felt happy. There are so many people who ask for us
and go away after they hear our story.
We feel very sad, because we are away from family, and also the society does not accept us
all the girls feel bad for this.
I wish you make a change in the society