Protect rights of sex workers, trafficked women
Vimukthi demands government to implement GOs
Vijayawada: Vimukthi, the State Federation of Women Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking, has called on the State government to protect the rights of nearly 1.33 lakh sex workers and trafficking survivors in the State. The Federation demands community-based rehabilitation programmes, legal compensation, and inclusion under all relevant welfare schemes.
Apoorva, president of Vimukthi, voiced the demand during a State-level meeting held on the occasion of International Sex Workers’ Rights Day here on Monday.
International Sex Workers’ Rights Day is observed on June 2 globally, commemorating the 1975 protest by sex workers in Belgium demanding safety, dignity, and recognition.
Citing the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s 2021–22 annual report, Apoorva stated that AP has the highest number of women in sex work in India, with over 1.33 lakh women dependent on this livelihood. Approximately 2.25 lakh family members rely on them. Including migrant sex workers, the actual number may be even higher.
According to APSACS (2022), over 40,000 sex workers in the state are above the age of 40 and unable to exit the profession due to lack of alternate livelihoods. In Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts, over 35,000 women are engaged in sex work, supporting around 64,000 dependents, including 14,400 elderly women. These women face intense social stigma, loneliness, and mental distress, compounded by poverty and exclusion from state welfare schemes.
Through RTI, Vimukthi found that 2,737 survivors were housed in rehabilitation centres between 2019 and June 2023 of whom 2,265 in Ujjwala home, 447 in Swadhar homes and 25 victims in the homes run by NGOs. Yet, only 692 applied for services, and just 592 received any support—a mere 22 percent service coverage.
The government of Andhra Pradesh issued orders in 2018 for victim compensation. But only five compensation applications were submitted State- wide (all from Machilipatnam), despite 2,890 registered trafficking cases in between 2016-22. Though Rs 12+ crore is available under the compensation fund, less than Rs 20 lakh has been spent on trafficking survivors.
HELP Secretary Rammohan Nimmaraju, Programme Manager Bhaskar and Project Manager Pavan Kumar also participated.
