Survey finds deep debt bondage among among sex workers in West Bengal's Sonagachi

New Delhi: Sex workers in Sonagachi, Asia's largest red light area reeling under huge debt trap, post lockdown, with round 89 percent of them under deep debt bondage, a survey has revealed.

The survey conducted by an NGO - Anti Human Trafficking Organisation found that many Sonagachi sex workers had taken loan during the lockdown as they were out of business.

The Anti Human Trafficking Organisation also found that 73 percent of these sex workers want to leave the trade and look for new avenues of income. However, they have taken loans from the informal sector especially from money lenders, brothel owners, pimps, thus entrapping themselves further into the vicious circle.

Trafficked or abandoned, 98 percent of the sex workers who had participated in the survey had said that they would chose an alternate hob or livelihood, if there was an opportunity.

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Many women from other states or neighbouring Bangladesh have come to Sonagachi, home to around 7,000 residential sex workers

The survey suggested that policymakers, along with the support of NGOs, should formulate an alternative livelihood plan for the local sex workers to provide relief as part of COVID-19 relief measures. This would help sex workers who want to start their venture get access to easy credit and collateral-free microfinance opportunities.

With PTI Inputs