Re: Sexworkers letter to the Kerala Chief Minister

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

Perhaps the orgainsers of the mail (Agitation) need to take a relook.

As I see it the issues are following:

1. Drop-in center funding was stopped

2. Female condoms not provided

3. Police torture and harrassment of Sex workers

The solution

1. 2 months notice to govt to stop harrassment

2. Sit-in agitation

Allow me to comment on each of these

1. ISSUE- Drop in Center funding

My team member had visited a drop in center in Kerala long back in

connection with a research study. Based on his report and what I hear

from others who know: In-case SACS had decided to stop funding a drop-

in center, they were probably right.

The NACO Targeted interventions do provide sufficient funds for sex

worker interventions and I am sure the funds budgeted are sufficient

and there is no stopping an NGO to add a drop-in-center to their

activities which would not mean much additional costs for a running

HIV Prevention Intervention. Also the experience in other states

suggest that, where a drop in center has been found useful, the sex

workers themselves have sustained the centers even when specific

funding was not available.

I wonder how this funding issue is clubbed with a more global issue

of police harrassments.

2. ISSUE - Female condoms

Please check up available International experience with Female

condoms. Perhaps Female condoms are not yet ready for HIV-prevention

programmes though a lot of efforts are going on. If Female Condoms

are a viable solution , I am sure NACO will have no problem in

promoting their use.

3. ISSUE- Police harassment

This is perhaps an issue everywhere. I agree, something must be done

to stop this at a national level. But how?

1. SOLUTION- 2 months notice

Believe me, Any amount of threats to a state government will not

bring about a behavior change in the admin or police in 2 months.

2. SOLUTION - Sit-in agitation

Perhaps the organisers of the mail have been influenced by the recent

agitiations, processions, sit-ins, and demonstrations at the same

venue.

Believe me, the solution to this issue does not lie in such action. I

agree such action will help in local issues such as specific cases of

harrassment. But not across a state, let alone 4 states or the

nation.

What is required ?

A sustained long term strategy to change the policy as well as

attitudes by :

1. Influencing the legislators, drafting a legistaltion to regulate

(read 'legalise') paid sex work or declaring a National policy.

2. Sensitising and training police departments to handle their

responsibilities differently.

3. There are good examples in change of attitude towards sex workers

among police (at local levels) in other parts of the country. These

good examples need to be encouraged and disseminated. NGOs and Sex

worker's organisations can play a great role in organising events and

programs to change police attitutdes. SACS and NACO can also take up

this issue under their programme head " Inter-Sectoral Collaboration " .

4. Non-HIV issues can be dealt with in HIV prevention targeted

Intervention. Nobody can stop an organisation taking up Legal

support, drop-in centers, advocacy issues. In fact some budget heads

under targeted interventions such as " Enabling environment " allow

these activities. If a problem exists in Kerala perhaps this merely

needs an " education " of the SACS official or NGO perhaps both.

My suggestion to the organisers of this mail is to take up sustained

advocacy efforts at all levels and perhaps someone can help draft a

National Policy on paid sex or a suitable legislation. This draft can

be circulated and worked upon and support for it can be built by mass

action.

Of course Local issues such as an Extra tough police official or

frequent raids can be handled by agitation when every other method

fails. But these agitations can at best be city level and rarely

state level and definitely not feasible across states or across the

country.

Please note , I am not connected to NACO or any HIV Intervention

project. The opinions expressed are entirely mine. I am just an

unemployed researcher with an emotional interest in the cause of HIV

infected people in the country.

Regards

Gunasekar Rajaratnam

email : development@...

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[Guest guest]

Dear Gunesekhar,

Thanks for your comments. We understand your spirit also.

But we must say that you have read the letter upside down. The priority is

1) The police harassment then the rest in order. We are not complaining

about not giving the female condoms or stopping of drop-in-centers. Please

read the letter again.

All enabling enviornment starts after de-criminalisation and agitations are

necessary for such changes. We are not breaking-in the Secretariat, but doing a

sit-in, which definitely is a democratic way to draw attention.

For information: We are working with the sex workers even before the AIDS

prevention projects are in the scene. We are working for their human rights,

which simply includes their health. If you can't understand the strategic

position of that letter, probably you will never understand the spirit in

which it is written.

If not for AIDS nobody would have cared for the plight of sex workers and the

moment some medicine or vaccine are found, they will be back to square one.

Again all your recommendations in one time or another have been practised by the

organisers. So please understand that we are not just naive as you seem to

presume. Nobody starts with agitations only ends in it.

Anyway responding to the letter itself is a positive thing. Thank you.

Love

Maitreya & Dr Jayasree

E-mail: <maitreya@...>

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