SEX WORK AND THE LAW - HIV/AIDS Data Hub

health and work issues after participation in the Sonagachi Project. 204 Empowerment
strategies implemented by DMSC, such as community mobilization, advocacy and microfinance
have impacted a range of factors to reduce vulnerability to HIV. For example, a
study found that the Sonagachi Project’s interventions “motivated change based on
reframing sex work as valid work, increasing disclosure of profession, and instilling a
hopeful future orientation reflected in desire for more education or training and improved
skills in sexual and workplace negotiations.” 205
India
The Sonagachi Project has been associated with lower HIV rates among sex workers as
compared to other urban centres in India. 206 Research has demonstrated a significant
increase in condom use among sex workers who participated in empowerment
interventions. The project’s success in raising consciousness about sex work as legitimate
labour has been described as a motivator for increased condom use. 207 DMSC members
report increased confidence in countering stigma when dealing with the police. 208
DMSC has also campaigned for the repeal of punitive laws, particularly ITPA. In 2006,
DMSC vigorously opposed proposed amendments to ITPA that sought to criminalize
clients of sex workers and strengthen police powers. DMSC argued that these provisions
would have deprived sex workers of income and driven the industry further underground.
The proposed amendments were not enacted.
DMSC has supported the establishment of self-regulatory boards comprising DMSC staff,
clinicians, welfare providers, local councillors, advocates and sex workers. 209 The board
also includes representatives from the local government, e.g., Councillor or Member of
Parliament. Data indicate that self-regulatory boards are more effective in identifying
and removing survivors of trafficking than state-driven rescue and rehabilitation
programmes. 210 In 2008 there were 33 self-regulatory boards in West Bengal. Each board
is responsible for patrolling the red light district, assisting underage girls and those who
have been coerced into the sex trade. The boards provide temporary shelter, medical care
and assistance to women to return home or begin a new life. 211 The boards have helped
sex workers challenge police abuses such as extortion by creating an opportunity for sex
workers to negotiate with local officials. In cases of police violence, strategies include
lodging a report at the police station, submitting protest letters to women’s and human
rights organizations, engaging lawyers, mobilizing sex workers to protest and use of
media. 212
204 The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee Theory and Action for Health Research Team (2007), Meeting
community needs for HIV prevention and more: intersectoral action for health in the Sonagachi red-light area of
Kolkata, WHO, p. 16.
205 Swendeman D., Basu I., Das S., Jana S., Rotheram-Borus M. (2009) Empowering sex workers in India to
reduce vulnerability to HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Soc Sci Med. 69(8):1157-66; and see: Jana S, Basu I,
Rotheram-Borus MJ, Newman P. (2004) The Sonagachi Project: a sustainable community intervention program.
AIDS Educ Prev. 2004 Oct;16(5):405-14.
206 Jana S., Basu I., Rotheram-Borus M., Newman P., (2004) The Sonagachi Project: a sustainable community
intervention program. AIDS Educ Prev 16(5): 405-14.
207 Ghose T., Swendeman D., George S., Chowdhury D., (2008) Mobilizing collective identity to reduce HIV
risk among sex workers in Sonagachi, India: The boundaries, consciousness, negotiation framework Soc Sci Med
67(2): 311–320.
208 Ibid.
209 Bandyopadhya N. (2008), op cit.
210 Dr S. Jana, quoting: Self Regulatory Board ensuring participatory democracy in practice – A partnership
between DMSC and Action Aid.
211 OSI (2008) Our Lives Matter op cit. p35
212 APNSW, UNFPA, UNAIDS, (2011) op cit p.37.
71