'What do we do now,' they ask as Ahmednagar awaits good rehabilitation programme after firm action against sex trade
Although the firm action by Ahmednagar superintendent of police, Krishna Prakash, against brothels and the sex trade in the district is being hailed by the public, the affected commercial sex workers (CSW) are facing acute problems of rehabilitation.
While the CSWs, who had come to the district from other states, have moved out due to the raids by the police, the local CSWs have nowhere to go in the absence of a concrete rehabilitation plan.
These women, who have been victims of the flesh trade, have lost their livelihood and are hoping that the administration will assist them in their search for a new life.
“We have been told that we will be rehabilitated, but what should we eat till then?” said a CSW, Naina. The sole bread-winner of the family, she has two children and her mother to take care of. She lives in a rented house and two months’ rent is already pending.
“I really don’t know what to do. It has not affected the pimps and brothel keepers as much as they have their savings,” she added.
The social organisations working for prevention of AIDS among the CSWs too are facing problem tracking their patients. Some CSWs have taken loans from private moneylenders for treatment.
“The women who were affected by HIV have moved out and they may spread it wherever they go. Here we ensured that they used contraceptives and went through regular treatment,” said Asha Shinde, peer educator who works for prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS among CSWs.
However, Prakash said the action was in accordance with the law and efforts towards rehabilitation of the women are on. "I convened a meeting of stakeholders to discuss the future. The NGOs in the city have been asked to conduct a survey to see what is the present condition of these women and how they want the rehabilitation to be carried out,” he said.
When the report is submitted by the organisations to the police, the department will pursue the matter with the collectorate. “Our problem is that we do not have anything like community policing. The police do not have provision or infrastructure for something like a rehabilitation project. That’s our limitation. We will, therefore, ask the district administration to take it up,” he stated.
Citing the example of the rehabilitation of the Fase Pardhi community in Buldana when he was serving there, Prakash said it was easy to do it there as there are government schemes for tribals.
“We intend to have an effective rehabilitation plan and hope to get funds from the government for the same. It has to be a proper plan with residential, educational and vocational facilities for the CSWs and their families. We need to train them vocationally,” he said.
About hurdles in prevention of AIDS due to the raids, he said the campaign against HIV and AIDS has to be people-oriented, not place-oriented.
“Those working for prevention of AIDS have to reach the patients. If they have left this place and shifted to another city, the workers in that city have to take care of them. Also, it’s not that AIDS is spreading only because of CSWs. It’s also spreading due to those who visit their places,” he said.
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