“We get hounded for our work. This ... will further the harassment’: India’s sex workers speak out against draft law

Reeling from pandemic debt and poverty, women in the industry are fearful of new draft legislation on trafficking that could take away their agency, reports Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Sonagachi is Asia’s biggest red-light district, but Covid has made footfall dwindle (AFP/Getty)

Asha* sits on a bench in one of the musty bylanes of Sonagachi, Asia’s largest red-light district in the state of West Bengal, awaiting clients past noon on a Friday.

Pre-Covid, she would have accepted two clients by 1pm, but some days now pass without a single man asking for her.

Malati*, who also makes her living through sex work, takes the morning train every day to travel 60km to Kolkata.