When COVID-19 has crippled entire economies, one does not need to strain credulity when it is revealed that the
same virus has forced nine in 10 workers in the mankind’s oldest profession to
be crushed under the burden of debts.

But such is the state of the sex-workers at Sonagachi, Asia’s
largest red light area.

According to a survey conducted by Anti Human Trafficking
Organisation, around 89% of them have fallen into debt trap during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them took loans during the lockdown when entire
country was shut down overnight. The plight of the sex-workers is considered to
be more vulnerable since most of them have borrowed from small time
moneylenders or pimps.  

The survey reckoned that 73% of the sex-workers want
to leave the trade now to look for some other profession. But it is harder for them
to do so because of the ignominy that comes with their profession and also for
the fact that most of them are indentured to their lenders, mostly pimps, who
wouldn’t want them to leave profession.   

“Around 89% of sex workers in Sonagachi have
fallen into debt bondage during the pandemic. Of these, over 81% of
them have taken loans from the informal sector, especially from moneylenders,
brothel owners, pimps, making them vulnerable to further exploitation. 73% of the sex workers want to leave the sex trade, but are not able to do so
due to the huge loans they have taken to survive the pandemic,” PTI quoted
the survey report.

Sonagachi houses around 7,000 residential sex workers. Since
March, when the government initiated its lockdown measures, the sex workers have
lost almost all their patrons. In last three months, the situation has improved,
but it is far from doing them any good. The survey said that since July only around
65% business in Sonagachi resumed. Even then, the income is only a
trickle of what used to be in normal times.

“Piled up in huge debts, the sex workers have nowhere
to go. Even though the lockdown is now lifted, the women cannot carry on work
due to the fear of the contagion. Now is the time for the state government to
intervene and help them carve an alternative plan,” Tapan Saha of National
Youth President of Anti Human Trafficking Organisation was quoted as saying by
PTI.

The survey findings were corroborated by Durbar – a sex workers
welfare organisation. A member of the body said the sex workers have been facing
immense hardship since the beginning of the lockdown in the country.

“Only 65% of the business has resumed, and
there is financial stress as it is no longer business as usual. There was a
cooperative bank run by sex workers, but all of them are not part of it, and
sex workers prefer moneylenders and pimps for borrowing money as they don’t
require any paperwork,” the member said.

According to the PTI report, the state Women and Child
Development minister Sashi Panja said she was not aware of the survey and emphasised
that the government had extended all kind of help to the sex workers during the
lockdown period.

“I am not aware of such surveys. If the sex workers
write to us, we can look into it. But the state government since the beginning
of lockdown in March has provided all sorts of help, including providing free
ration,” she told the news agency.

The survey advocated streamlining of efforts by policymakers
and NGOs and forging an alternative livelihood plan for the local sex-workers.