Amid challenges of neglect, stigma and systemic exclusion, Budhwar Peth—Maharashtra’s largest red-light space—witnessed a big voter turnout, with almost 800 intercourse staff casting their votes within the not too long ago concluded Meeting elections.
In accordance with Assistant Nodal Officer Sameer Walambe, there have been three polling cubicles the place the 1,200 to 1,300 intercourse staff within the space have been registered: Sheth Nathu Bai Hukamchand Gujarati College, Agrasen College, and Naamdeo Shimpu Karyalaya. Regardless of their deep-seated cynicism about election guarantees and previous disappointments, many staff engaged with the Pune Municipal Company officers through the election course of, displaying curiosity in voting for change.
As per the nodal officer, Kasba Peth constituency No. 215 witnessed a voter turnout of almost 59 %. The official knowledgeable that Budhwar Peth area, which falls beneath Kasba Peth, shared polling cubicles with most of the people, intercourse staff, and transgender people, making it troublesome to trace precise numbers of intercourse staff. “Nevertheless, out of an estimated 1,200 intercourse staff, almost 800 voted, showcasing a big enchancment from earlier elections and a robust participation from their group,” stated the official.
This, although the lanes from Bhui Gulli to Dhol Tasha Galli proceed to echo with tales of neglect and despair. Amongst its residents, aged industrial intercourse staff (CSWs), a lot of whom have spent over 30 years within the commerce, nonetheless discover themselves grappling with an unsure future.
The hopes of a dignified retirement or fundamental healthcare are dashed in opposition to a wall of forms and social stigma for the ladies who’re about to depart the occupation. For these ladies, who’ve skilled a number of elections, political guarantees come and go each 5 years, however the harsh realities of their lives stay unchanged.
Many years of struggles and damaged guarantees
An element-time employee in her 50s from Pimpri was pressured into the commerce by her mom as a toddler. Talking of her struggles, she stated, “My mom requested me to hitch this, compelled by our residence’s poor situation. My husband is aware of that I’m a intercourse employee, as I met him in Budhwar Peth, however my youngsters don’t.”
She expressed frustration over being excluded from welfare schemes attributable to a scarcity of correct paperwork and the stigma tied to her identification. “Regardless of making use of for PM Awas Yojana, I couldn’t entry its advantages. A gaggle of aged ladies and I paid Rs 200 to 300 every and crammed out the varieties. It’s been so a few years, however nobody responded. We have been advised we couldn’t avail the schemes as we don’t have revenue proof or utility payments like electrical energy payments,” she stated.
“At this age, I’m not engaging. Who’s going to have a look at me when there are lovely women within the gullies? Nevertheless, I’m pushing myself to contribute to my husband, who’s barely incomes from his small work of promoting locks and keys,” she added.
She revealed that her son believes she is a hospital workers employee. Regardless of this, she struggles to elucidate to him why she couldn’t entry the advantages of health-related schemes.
A plea for care in retirement
Alka Gujnal, a social employee raised by these aged intercourse staff, stated that just about half of the intercourse staff are about to retire, and they’re going to want well being amenities with correct care. Their main plea is to ascertain a minimum of one authorities hospital unit and old-age houses within the area.
“After they depart this work, they gained’t have any supply of revenue, and so they can’t return to their houses as they haven’t any households or have been socially boycotted. There’s a dire want for old-age houses on this space in order that they’ll get care after retirement,” she stated.
Going through HIV prejudice and monetary exclusion
Older staff, particularly these residing with HIV, face compounded challenges. Many monetary establishments refuse loans, pensions, or insurance coverage citing perceived excessive danger.
At round 45, a girl from Andhra Pradesh, now a voter in Pune, managed to provide paperwork like an Aadhaar card for banks however confronted rejection when making use of for pension and life insurance coverage schemes attributable to perceived monetary dangers.
She was falsely lured to Pune with the promise of job safety and has since stayed within the metropolis with no household contacts. Now, a resident of Budhwar Peth, she stated she was denied insurance coverage and pension schemes due to the excessive danger related to HIV.
“With the unfairness of shorter life expectancy and being labelled a ‘high-risk’ particular person, they assumed I’ll not stay lengthy sufficient to contribute to or profit from long-term schemes like pensions,” she stated.
She added that many intercourse staff face hurdles in accessing life insurance coverage, pension schemes, and loans because of the lack of revenue certificates, as their landlords usually refuse to offer important paperwork like electrical energy payments.
“Whereas different measures, resembling permitting self-declaration affidavits or NGO-issued certificates, have been proposed, these choices stay largely unimplemented by the federal government. This lack of assist leaves intercourse staff and not using a security web, additional marginalising an already susceptible group,” Gujnal added.
4 ladies from Karnataka, who keep collectively in a rented home costing almost Rs 50,000 a month, complained that no political chief has introduced any change for them. One in every of them stated that greater than half of their earnings go towards paying lease and electrical energy payments. Nevertheless, their landlords refuse to permit them to make use of these paperwork to entry authorities schemes.
“I’ve an Aadhaar card with the tackle of Budhwar Peth. Nevertheless, monetary firms hesitate to offer help after noticing the tackle. I barely contribute something to my mom and son in my village in Karnataka once I return to them twice a 12 months,” she stated.
Gujnal added that moreover no financial help or fuel connections have been supplied to those ladies attributable to documentation points. Moreover, ladies from Kamble Gulli have complained in regards to the unavailability of advantages beneath the Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) because of the absence of caste certificates and different required paperwork for banking providers.
In accordance with the official information, out of 800 functions submitted by intercourse staff for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana—launched by the Maharashtra authorities in 2024-25 beneath Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar—round 450 have been accredited, whereas others have been rejected attributable to a scarcity of correct paperwork.
Responding to further complaints from staff in regards to the enhance in crimes within the space, overcharging of transportation for intercourse staff, and video shoots by YouTubers, Faraskhana Police Inspector Prashant Bhasme acknowledged that common motion is taken in opposition to vloggers and YouTubers. “Whereas there are not any crimes particularly concentrating on the ladies staff, normal crimes within the space are promptly addressed,” he stated.
In distinction to this, social employee Alka Gujnale claimed that 5 to 6 intercourse staff have been murdered prior to now three years.
