MANGALURU: One female sex worker’s dream to come out of the flesh trade and become independent in a profession of her choice is fading.
On Tuesday, the sex worker Rekha (name changed) was accompanied by Chandrika Nayak of the Women and Social Welfare Department when they met a woman bank official. Rekha was asked to file a fresh application for availing a loan of `1.25 lakh. “Tuesday’s visit was our third visit to the bank in four months. The discourteous staff who had no inclination to release loans insist on more and more documents,” Chandrika rued.
Rekha’s hopes at leading a dignified life was ignited when she was engaged as a ‘peer educator’ for a monthly honorarium of `3,300 by Hind Kusht Nivarna Sangha.
The sangha social worker Chandrashekar told Express that such peer educators are spreading awareness on preventing AIDS among sex workers.
“After months of counselling we succeeded in enrolling her in a tailoring course and fix her priorities on providing education to her 11-year-old daughter who is growing up under foster-care,” a counsellor in the sangha said.
As rehabilitation of sex workers is an initiative of the government, the sangha had forwarded Rekha’s application to the department to facilitate early release of loans in October 2016.
Two months ago, department deputy director Sundar Poojary raised the issue of how a public sector bank was stonewalling the government’s efforts to rehabilitate sex workers by refusing them loans, at the District Consultative Committee and District Level Review Committee meetings convened in December 2016.
Then Mangaluru MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had directed the bank’s representative Geeta U Kanchan to ensure that such applications are expedited without further delay.
“On the following day I went to the bank full of hope only to be told that I should bring a recommendation letter from the district Deputy Commissioner who is also head of the sangha,” Rekha told Express.
D-K Deputy Commissioner K G Jagadeesha said, “Banks are not under me or under the centre, but under the RBI. I will draft a request letter if needed.”
When informed about the bank’s dilly-dallying tactics, Syndicate Bank lead manager Raghava V Yajamana sought an explanation from the bank’s regional office on Thursday.
“I will bring this to the attention of the AGM, when he returns from his leave next week,” Kanchan promised.