Majority of female sex workers join the trade voluntarily-survey says

A news story in the Health(Y) Destination on May 1 2011.

A recent survey conducted at Pune reveals that 70 percent of the female sex workers join the trade voluntarily and they were not forced or sold.

Most of the sex workers join the trade only in their later age after relieved from other labour such as domestic work and construction of building work. It is revealed that the sex work is also felt by them as that of the other labour work.

The findings were revealed by a survey conducted by ‘First pan-India survey of sex workers’ at Pune University.

The academicians Rohini Sahni and Kalyan Shankar conducted the survey.

The survey was conducted among 3000 female sex workers and 2000 male and transgender ones from 14 states including one union territory.

Sahni said most of the previous surveys focused only on the numbers of women indulged in the trade and the impact of HIV by the sex trade. But our study ignored all these facts and allowed the workers to bring forth the marginalized voices of sex workers themselves.

Sahni said that the survey offered results and it indicated that about 65% of sex workers have come from poor families and about 60% of them have come from rural areas.

It also revealed that majority of them have joined the trade after coming from other labour works. The result of the survey also revealed only a small percentage of workers have come to the trade directly.

Sahni, who hopes that this study would provide insights to sex workers themselves about their counterparts around the country.