Bhopal: Among the thousands hit hard across the country by the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus are sex workers who have lost their sole source of income and are struggling to make ends meet.
Members of some welfare organisations in Madhya Pradesh’s capital city of Bhopal claim that while business of sex workers have dried up, their family members, most of them poor, who do odd jobs, have also been rendered unemployed during the lockdown.
Most of these women are part of the hidden population of professionals as 80-90% go about their work secretively with their families having no idea about the nature of their job, said Rajesh Chauhan, project Manager of city-based volunteer organisation CARD.
Stating that his organisation has 1,200-1,300 such workers registered with it in Bhopal, Chauhan said many of these women are in huge financial distress as their savings are gradually drying up.
“Even if their family members had some temporary work, these jobs are also gone due to the lockdown prohibitions,” Chauhan said, adding the sex workers are now mostly surviving on help from neighbours or their regular customers.
Days before the lockdown was announced, the organisation had offered two months’ medicines to those who are infected with HIV.
CARD has also partnered with social group Aawaj that is offering ration to the women across the city in areas, including Pushpa Nagar, Ban Ganga and New Market areas.
“Till now, we have given ration packs to around 40 sex workers in the city,” said Rolly Shivhare, a volunteer for Aawaj, adding their organisation is extending help to eunuchs who too have have lost their all sources of income.
Shivhare said government schemes do not cover such marginalised groups even during a health crisis like the coronavirus pandemic.
Activist Abdul Majid Khan who works for the LGBTQ community is also coordinating with organisations like Aawaj to help out transgender and other groups in the hour of crisis.
However, members of the transgender community who live in traditional ‘deras’ are not much affected by the crisis given their deep group resources, but those living with families or fellow community members in small groups are hit hard as their income has stopped completely, said Khan, convener of Anmol Samaj Sevi Sansthan.
For members of the LGBTQ community, Khan is trying to ensure that they are not left out if any health emergency happens during the lockdown.
A central government scheme has offered Rs 1,500 each to these community members during the curfew, said the volunteer.
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