https://reasonstobecheerful.world/india-older-sex-workers-supreme-court/
"Sitting in a corner wearing a spotless uniform, Jyoti is humming a tune she
recently learned from her teenage daughter and threading beads onto a bracelet.
The 47-year-old is a former sex worker from the brothels of Delhi’s biggest red
light district — Garstin Bastion Road, also known as GB Road — who has left her
previous life behind.
“I was sold to a brothel by an aunt when I was only 12 years old, so there
never was any time to learn anything else or get exposure to the outside
world,” she says. “With multiple waves of abuse every day, my body had become
weak by the time I hit my late thirties. Plus the work had really slowed down.
I was never able to save any money due to exploitation by the brothel owner and
it gave me anxiety about my children’s future.”
Now, Jyoti not only has a job, she is earning enough to give her children a
promising future: $250 a month through Savhera, a women-led organization that
connects and provides retired sex workers with jobs. As a result of the
capacity building training by Savhera, the workers have successfully launched
their own collective, WePower, with technical support from Shakti Vahini, an
anti-trafficking NGO. The collective aims to manufacture handmade goods that
provide ongoing employment and empowerment to the women."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
