SOPs like phone sex, masks fail to attract clients in Budhwar peth red-light area

Budhwar peth houses around 3,000 sex workers earning their livelihood at the 700 small and big brothels

Unlike other sectors and businesses that are limping back to normalcy following relaxation of lockdown restrictions, those working at Budhwar peth as a commercial sex worker (CSW) still await customers.

A sex worker at her residence in the red light area at Budhwar Peth on Friday. The area houses around 3,000 sex workers earning their livelihood. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

Despite opting for new adaptive measures like phone sex, masks and gloves as the job involves physical contact, customers are hesitant to visit fearing risk of the infection.

Located at the heart of Pune, Budhwar peth offers a contrasting picture with areas like Laxmi road, Tulshibaug and Mandai overcrowded with shoppers while the narrow bylanes where the CSWs run business wear a deserted look.

One of the oldest and largest red-light areas in the state, Budhwar peth houses around 3,000 sex workers earning their livelihood at the 700 small and big brothels. Though CSWs were permitted to reopen their business in June, measures like phone sex and other standard operating procedures (SOPs) have failed to attract customers, said Tejaswi Sevekari, executive director of Pune-based NGO Saheli.

With no new customer visits and only regulars trickling back, survival for these workers has become difficult.

“It is unpredictable as to when the business will again pick up,” said Sevekari, whose NGO has been working for CSWs for more than two decades.

In November, the Maharashtra government decided to provide financial help of ₹15,000 to each registered commercial sex worker for a period of three months from October to December 2020. However, in the absence of bank account, transfer of funds has not happened for some.

“I don’t have any paper or bank account. Hence, I have not received any state aid,” said a CSW, who has been in the business for over 10 years after coming to the city from Hindi heartland. In existence since the Peshwa era, most CSWs in the red-light area of Budhwar peth have mostly migrated from West Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

“When the lockdown restrictions were lifted, we thought the worst is over. But the number of clients visiting us is very low as per our expectations,” she said.

“The CSWs opted for online measures, but with limited success. The women are not trained to do that and are also afraid of losing their confidentiality” said Sevekari.

The major reason for few footfall, apart from the obvious crippling fear of contracting Covid-19, is the fact that majority of clientele are struggling as they belong to the class worst hit by the lockdown, according to the NGO.