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Rights Of Female Sex Workers

The Issue

Many poor women in India choose to practise sex work in order to make ends meet. This is not illegal, as a person has the right to practise sex work voluntarily. However, sex workers in India, especially women, are subjected to police violence and are illegally detained in remand homes. SIAAP works to promote the rights, safety, and dignity of all women, including sex workers.

Our Solution

Education and perspective building for sex workers, police, local authorities, and policymakers.

Facilitating the release of illegally detained women.

Access to healthcare, legal services, safe shelters, and crisis intervention.

Access to social entitlements such as National Identity Card, Voter ID Card, Ration Card, Health Insurance, and Bank Accounts.

Strengthening collectives of sex workers.

Education for sex workers’ children and skilling for employment.

Evidence-based advocacy to protect sex workers from Stigma, Discrimination, and violence.

The Impact

  • SIAAP was a key member of an expert panel set up by the Government of India to make recommendations related to sex work. In 2022, The Supreme Court of India recognized the rights of consenting adults to practise Voluntary sex work.
  • In 2023, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) accepted policy guidelines for quality Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services for female sex workers in India.
  • The Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) released USD 10 million as a special COVID relief grant for sex workers in India. SIAAP’s Founder and Executive Director served as the Vice-Chair of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) that advocated for the grant. Over 50,000 sex workers benefitted through access to Ration Cards, Voter IDs, Aadhaar Cards, Health Insurance, and Bank Accounts.
  • SIAAP helped to establish Vadamalar, a federation of nine Sex worker Community Based Organizations across Tamil Nadu.

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