CHENNAI: In her mid-thirties, Malani* learned how to make video calls only recently. Her effort to stay relevant in her profession during the Covid crisis, however, has thrown up a slew of challenges. For most, she is haunted by the fear that somebody might record the ‘video session’ and expose her in front of the public.
A sex worker for over five years, Malini is now finding it tough to make the ends meet. The lockdown and its accompanying social-distance rules have hit the sex workers hard, drawing a big question over their livelihood at least for an year. While, some are offering services online, many others are seeking help from NGOs.
Malani entered the profession soon after her husband died, leaving her alone with their two children, one of whom disabled. “My son required round-the-clock care and I did not want to discontinue my daughter’s education. With no support from my family, I had no option but become a sex worker,” rues Malani. She managed to work in secrecy all these years and even she got her daughter married last year. “Now, after the clients stopped visiting, I hesitantly shifted to online.
But, this throws up a lot of issues, including security. Also, not all clients are comfortable coming online. I stay connected with my old clients, but with new clients, I take a day or two. Only after I am confident that they will not record the session, I agree to come online. I ensure they transfer the money before the service. But the ear of getting exposed is always there,” she says.
The never-expected crisis
Ramya* who has been a sex worker for 15 years, says she entered the business at an age when she did not know much. “As I grew older, I chose to be in this business. I tell myself every time that this is my work ,and I feel I am employed like any other person. But, it hurts when our children are treated differently. They are insulted at schools and public places, which creates hatred in their mind towards their mothers,” she says. In all these years, she never thought a day would come when she would have to search for another job, says Ramya.
“Forget being interviewed for a job, nobody would even meet us in the public and we are often shooed away.” Extending support to her counterparts, M Kokila, president of Vadamalar Federation of Sex Workers, says she receives about seven to eight calls from sex workers daily.
“Most of them are afraid to shift their business online and are getting into depression as they have no means to support their families. The government is providing `Rs 1,000 and ration to family card holders. But, most of the sex workers do not have a card. They are often shunned by their families and constantly keep shifting their houses as landlords force the women to vacate as soon as they get to know about their work.”
Activists say that during the lockdown, more counselling is being given to sex workers as they suffer from anxiety issues. “We learnt that they are unable to save money as it’s always a hand-to-mouth existence for them. They need a capital to start a new business, and starting a business from scratch is difficult for them,” says Janani Venkatesh, project officer of South India Aids Action Programme. *Names changed