Sex workers in Kolkata’s Sonagachi, India’s largest red-light district, have inaugurated their 14th Durga Puja celebration. The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a group representing the sex workers, organized the event to assert their rights and combat social stigma.
According to Bishakha Laskar, secretary of DMSC, the group has faced significant resistance from locals and neighborhood clubs in organizing their own puja. She stated that they had to seek legal recourse to secure a space for their celebration, and that locals continue to create problems annually. Laskar explained that the sex workers initiated their own puja because they often felt judged and unwelcome at other pujas.
The organizers noted an increase in participants and guests in recent years, including local politicians and social activists, suggesting a gradual shift in societal attitudes. Despite facing societal judgment, the sex workers’ courtyards traditionally contribute clay for the Durga idols made by Kumartuli artisans, yet the women themselves have often felt excluded from the worship.
A guest at the event emphasized that societal progress requires granting rights and equal citizenship to sex workers. MLA Kunal Ghosh expressed his support for the sex workers, highlighting the societal double standard where men who engage in sex work or trafficking are not questioned, while women in the sex trade bear the brunt of judgment.
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Source: thehindu.com
