GB Road Sex Workers : Delhi’s GB Road (Garstin Baston Road) area is a hub of sex workers. Before the assembly elections, the sex workers here have expressed their problems. Electricity, clean drinking water and a clean environment to live are still a distant dream for them. The sex workers here hope that the next government will definitely solve their problems.
‘Four to five women live in one room’
Savitri (name changed) has been working as a sex worker for 30 years. She regrets that the leaders did not pay attention to their issues. According to news, she said that we vote like ordinary citizens but very little is thought about us. We live such a life that four to five women live in one room. 10 to 15 women live on one floor and there is only one washroom for us here.
Water and sanitation problems
Reshma (name changed), a 30-year-old sex worker, says, “We have a constant problem of water and sanitation. There is no electricity for three to four hours in the morning. The same happens at night. It is fine in winters, but it becomes unbearable in summers.” She said the rooms do not even have proper windows for air and light. The rooms are barely big enough to put a bed in them. The drains from the toilets flow right outside their doors, making the situation worse.
‘Every election has promises, but nothing changes’
A sex worker named Rani (name changed) says, “Every election they come and make promises, but nothing changes.” Rani has been living here for about ten years. Neha (name changed) says the pipeline here has been broken for months, but no one comes to fix it.
Around 74 brothels on GB Road
Anita (name changed) is around 70 years old. She says, we are treated like we don’t matter. No one listens to us. When we complain, nothing happens. We don’t even have a ration card. Many NGOs come and listen to our complaints but no one helps. According to a PTI report, there are around 74 brothels on GB Road, which house hundreds of women, many of whom have been trafficked.
