Mumbai: occasionally, Sonam * ride the train from Nalasopara and travel for more than an hour to reach Mumbai Central Station.
He walked a little far to reach Kamathipura, where he went through most of his life.
But during the covid-19 locking, Sonam was left without choice but to move to Kholi in Nalasopara.
Here, rent is much cheaper and he travels to “Bombay” only if it is to meet with old clients.
Mapping exercises carried out by anti-trafficking organizations, Prerana, in the MMR red light district have shown that the number of brothels decreases by 2021 compared to the pre-pandemic period in 2019.
Activists say that sex workers are largely scattered in the suburbs due to income Reduced significantly for them, as well as for brothel managers, during locking.
Mapping exercises showed that Kamathipura Bordel was reduced from 447 to 433 between 2019 and this year.
Now several bag manufacturing units operate from the same building.
In the past, Kamathipura used to have more than two dozyl bordils ‘caged’, where women were forced to attend customers.
It has also been widely reduced, over time and has been replaced by a guest house.
At Falkland Road nearby, where 382 brothels were reduced to 379 in the same period, the manufacturing unit had seen a surge in 13 units which clearly opened at 2020-21.
There has been an increase in urgent work units and saree metals.
Seven new tea stalls have begun; One of them is by a woman who enrolled in an economic rehabilitation program.
Parran videos that provide adult entertainment have also been closed.
A middle-aged sex worker told Ti He had begun to sell vegetables in the kuncian when sex trade was stopped.
“Unfortunately, not all women can transit completely into work that are not related to sex.
Some of them start selling essence during locking.
But in the days when it doesn’t help them meet the needs, they will return to attend customers,” said Priti PATKAR, Prerana Co-Founder.
A large number of sex workers survive on assistance provided by non-profit groups during locking.
In Vashi-Turbhe, where the red light area was locked up on the Kachha Hutments, unlike Pucca Kamathipura buildings, brothels had been reduced from 233 to 216 between 2019 and this year.
One of the brothels was replaced by NGOs working for women and children’s welfare.
“We have observed the trend of the spread of sex workers from the red light area to small hotspots such as Vasai-Nalasopara, Hill of Sion-Antop and Kalwa,” said Patkar, added, “Raigad and Thane became a new hub, but the women don.
Don’t live next door With each other like in the red light area.
Their home is spread.
“Activists said the red light area began gradually shrinking many years ago, but the pandemic gave him a further push.
“Jalan Kamathipura and Falkland occupy the main real estate.
Most of the brothel managers here are tenants.
After this structure goes for renovation or rebuilding, the owner does not always want to rent them back to the brothel’s house manager,” said Manju Vyas, who runs the collective female AAP APNE AAP.
Vyas added that with new technology, sex workers have begun asking for messaging applications and don’t have to stay in the red light area.
A study by the International Justice Mission (IJM) has shown that the absolute turn amount in sex trade has been reduced.
“We hope that post-pandemic poverty and vulnerability does not rise, which can lead to underage children being pushed into sex trafficking,” said Director of IJM Sanjay Macwan.
(* Name changed)