SEX WORK AND THE LAW - HIV/AIDS Data Hub

full labour rights, and is affiliated to the New Trade Union Initiative, a national federation
of independent trade unions in India. 191
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties of Karnataka has documented a series of incidents
leading to the lodging of a complaint to the Superintendent of Police, Bangalore by
Karnataka Sex Workers Union. This complaint urged the government to respond to abuses
perpetrated by police in response to a peaceful protest. 192 In 2007, police raided a house
and arrested two men and four women for engaging in ‘immoral activities’ under the
Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act. Police stated they found condoms on the premises.
After one of the accused revealed they worked for an NGO that conducts HIV prevention
with sex workers (Suraksha), police conducted a search of their confidential files without a
warrant. Local media televised the arrest. The following day sex worker groups organized
a peaceful protest against the conduct of the police, which was broken up through violent
means.
India
Ashodaya Samithi is an organization of sex workers in Mysore that implemented a project
to address stigma and discrimination with four components:
Training sex workers in advocacy, with a focus on health care rights. The project
placed trained sex workers (community guides) within health care facilities in Mysore
to support sex workers and to sensitize health care workers.
Training sex workers living with HIV as ‘social champions’, to provide testimonials
including outreach and advocacy with the police and government departments.
Forming and registering a support group by and for HIV-positive sex workers.
Establishing a restaurant owned and operated by sex workers to fight stigma and
provide an additional source of income.
Ashodaya Samithi proactively engaged the police from the inception of the project and
provided training to police cadets. As a result, sex workers experienced reduced violence
from the police and the police commissioner made a public statement of support for the
sex worker community. 193
Project Baduku is an anti-stigma advocacy campaign led by three organizations of female
sex workers in Bengaluru. Campaigns were designed to highlight the positive role police
and health care providers can play in improving the lives of sex workers. Police personnel
and health care workers who demonstrated positive attitudes and behaviour towards sex
workers were publicly acknowledged. Following the campaign, sex workers were more
willing to report discrimination to police and sex workers reported less police harassment
and violence. Hospital staff became more willing to refer sex workers for legal advice
and significantly more sex workers living with HIV attended hospitals for antiretroviral
therapy. 194
An intervention implemented in Karnataka in 2005-2008 sought to reduce violence
against female sex workers, as a component of a state-wide HIV prevention programme.
The following activities were undertaken: 195
191 See: http://sexworkersunion.in
192 PUCL-K (2007) Policing morality in Channapatna, Bangalore: People’s Union for Civil Liberties.
193 Stangl A., Carr D., Brady L., et al (2010) Tackling HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination in South Asia,
Washington: World Bank, pp.177ff.
194 Ibid, pp.85ff.
195 Beattie T., Bhattacharjee P., Ramesh B., et al (2010) Violence against female sex workers in Karnataka state,
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