Sex Workers

Starting Sunday, sex workers in Belgium will be able to sign formal employment contracts and gain labour rights on par with those in other professions in a legal breakthrough some call a revolution". The new law also establishes fundamental rights for sex workers including the right to refuse clients, choose their practices, and stop an act at any moment. The move follows the country's 2022 decision to decriminalise sex work. Under the new regulations, sex workers will have access to health insurance, paid leave, maternity benefits, unemployment support and pensions. The legislation also establishes rules on working hours, pay and safety measures, addressing a long-standing gap in legal protections for those in the industry. This is an incredible step forward, said Isabelle Jaramillo, coordinator of Espace P, an advocacy group involved in drafting the legislation. It means their profession can finally be recognised as legitimate by the Belgian state. From the employer's perspective

A special drive to include the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PTGs), sex workers and the homeless in the electoral roll will soon be launched in Jharkhand, a top official said. An enrolment drive will also be conducted at every polling booth of the state on four days -- October 28-29 and November 4-5, he said. "Apart from this, a special enrolment campaign will be conducted for primitive tribes (PTGs) on November 28, homeless people on November 29, senior citizens above 80 years of age on November 30, sex workers and third gender' on December 2 and physically challenged people on December 3," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jharkhand, K Ravi Kumar, said on Saturday. Besides, an advance form that can be filled by 6.59 lakh students, who are completing 18 years of age on January 1, 2024, to get included in the electoral roll, has also been made available, he said. I appeal to the public to take full advantage of the drive and ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of th

An NGO which supports various activities for marginalised communities, including transgenders, distributed Mahila Samman Savings certificates to sex workers in the Kamathipura red light area recently. The Mahila Samman Savings Certificate was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the 2023-24 Union Budget to commemorate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The two-year tenure scheme for women offers an attractive and fixed interest of 7.5 per cent interest compounded quarterly with flexible investment and partial withdrawal options with a maximum ceiling of Rs. 2 lakh. The scheme is valid for two years up to March 31, 2025. The certificates were presented to the sex workers by Nidarshana Gowani of the Kamala Ankibai Ghamandiram Gowani Trust as a part of her philanthropic endeavours. The certificates of Rs 15,000 investment each were distributed among 100 sex workers. "We are happy to felicitate 100 sex workers from the Kamathipura area with the Mahila Samman Savings certifica

Challenging the order in the Sessions Court, the woman with two minor children, also denied indulging in any immoral activities as alleged by the police

A first-ever health clinic for sex workers and their families has been opened in Delhi's red-light area, G B Road, with facilities for routine check-ups and treatment. The clinic was inaugurated on Sunday. It has been started in a part of a non-functional school by some civil society groups. Shalini (name changed), a sex worker, said she hopes the facility will help her fight the stigma that she faces in visiting clinics in other parts of the city. "Even doctors start behaving differently when they learn we are sex workers and this clinic can help change that as it is meant just for people like us," she told PTI. NGO Sewa Bharti started this clinic in collaboration with Utkarsh Initiative to provide medical facilities to sex workers and their families. This clinic will have seven doctors. "We have started this initiative on the first day of the year to start this year with the right initiative catering to the secluded and exploited strata of the society," said Sushil Gupta, Genera

Until the internet, sex workers lived under the protection of pimps, who beat them up and swallowed their earnings

The Supreme Court passed its verdict directing issuance of Aadhaar cards to sex workers who were deprived of basic necessities and ration. They also stressed on maintaining due secrecy in the process

The OnlyFans saga has led to sex-workers looking at Rs currency as an alternative

SC directed all state governments to ensure dry ration is being provided to sex workers, identified by the National AIDS Control Organisation during pandemic, in an adequate amount and uniformly

Will life get back to normal? As Covid-19 spreads, it's a question that haunts all sectors of society but perhaps sex workers most of all with the fear of being pushed further into the shadows

HIV and AIDS rate among female sex workers came down from 2.75% in 2013 to 1.6% in 2017

In Kolkata, the voter turnout from Sonagachi was 90 per cent

Court said this after a notice was issued as to why a place used as a brothel, immoral trafficking should not be vacated