Unsafe Working Conditions, Lost Livelihood: How Marginalised Communities Struggled in the Pandemic thewire.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewire.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On International Day of Sex Workers, SocialStory highlights the plight of the sex worker communities who have been rendered jobless during the lockdown.
Loan sharks target Indian sex workers hit by pandemic 23 February 2021 - 14:27 By Reuters As COVID-19 hit their incomes, hundreds of cash-strapped sex workers in India turned to unofficial moneylenders to get through the pandemic. Stock image. Image: 123RF/terovesalainen
When Indian sex worker Baji fell behind on her repayments to a loan shark during lockdown, her house was ransacked and her only belongings of any value - the kitchen utensils - were stolen. It was another low point in a terrible year.
As COVID-19 hit their incomes, hundreds of cash-strapped sex workers in southern Andhra Pradesh state turned to unofficial moneylenders to get through the pandemic - most of them lacking the papers needed to get formal bank credit, campaigners said.
Across sites, they have seized different opportunities in the areas of HIV prevention, gender equality and human rights to work collectively for both inclusion and recognition of their work and life experiences. The survey further offers a rich insight into the everyday life of the sex workers. Some of the major findings from the survey are explored below.
Entry into sex work was a result of choice and a result of exclusion: While the majority of women entered sex work because of poverty, poor socio-economic conditions, violence and exploitation in marriage and other areas, we also found that a considerable number of women – around 68% – came to sex work on their own. Also these women, who either came on their own or due to their circumstances, did so after venturing into the informal labor markets – working as domestic helpers, beauty parlour workers, wage labourers, petty vendors, construction workers, for example, which were also the sites of exploitation for them.
The Year in Gender Justice: Movements Driving Change in 2020
2020 has been marked by incredible challenges, but with those come opportunities for meaningful change in systems, structures, and societies around the globe. Despite COVID-19 and rollbacks of rights for women, girls, and marginalized people globally, 2020 also saw protest movements driving bold action for long-term impact.
Join Global Fund for Women in marking significant gains made this year for gender justice, including legal wins, powerful displays of solidarity, and cultural shifts all made possible by the innovation, organizing, and persistence of grassroots gender justice movements
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1. Black Lives Matter
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many more spurred enormous nationwide protests in the U.S. and helped reignite the movement to end police brutality against Black and Brown people around the world. While the protests began in the streets, they’ve had a reverbera