The All-India Network of Sex Workers (AINSW) on Saturday stressed the need for setting up Welfare Boards in all the States to address the issue of social protection of sex workers and their family members through their active representation.
It also demanded representation of sex workers in all policy making bodies of ministries dealing with sex workers to enable better access to social entitlements and services.
AINSW called for setting up Self-Regulatory Boards to address violence and trafficking in sex work settings. They could be set up on lines of boards set up by Durbar Mahila Samannya Committee in Kolkata and Ashodhaya in Mysore as these have been found to be participatory, transparent and effective in addressing trafficking in these two cities.
Facing exploitation and discrimination, sex workers should send copies of their complaints against police violence, inaccessibility of social entitlements and various discriminatory practices to ministries of Women and Child Development. Health, Home, Social Justice & Empowerment and even to the Prime Minister’s Office, AINSW recommended.