More than 16 aged and homeless sex workers have died on the streets of Budhwar Peth in the last six months. most were HIV positive.
More than 16 aged and homeless sex workers have died on the streets of Budhwar Peth in the last six months. most were HIV positive.
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More than 16 aged sex workers have died on the streets of Pune in the last six months because they had no other place to go. The startling statistic points towards the general apathy of society and of brothel owners, in particular, towards the aged commercial sex workers. There are more than 3,000 women engaged in the sex trade in the city.
Worryingly, for Punekars, most of these women are HIV positive, and they are inclined to allow clients to have unprotected sex, because they are in desperate need for money.
Apathy of brothels
Jamuna Mang (60), a sex worker, has recovered from TB and HIV to leave the government hospital, where volunteers of Saheli, an NGO, had admitted her with paralysis. But she can't leave because she has no other place to go, and no one to care for her.
Said Tejaswi Sevekari, director, Saheli, "We just know that 16 sex workers died on the streets of Budhwar Peth in the last six months, but there are many more women in the profession, who die in similar circumstances in other parts of the city. The numbers are higher."
Sarika Ramesh Patil, a Saheli volunteer, said, "Once, the sex workers are too old to attract customers, brothel owners throw them on the streets, where they perish, as they neither have a family nor any savings to fall back on. While they earn, these women spend every penny without bothering about the future."
Ignorant govt
"These women who are over 55 years of age contract HIV and other STDs on the streets, which severely affects their health. We have sent several proposals to the government to take them off the streets and provide homes for their children. But nothing has been done so far," said Patil.
Dr Mehendra Nagare, district civil surgeon, Aundh hospital, said, "Such deaths do occur but the bodies rarely come to the Aundh Hospital. Most of these cases are registered at Sasoon, which is one of the oldest hospitals in the city."
P S Pawar, superintendent, Sasoon Hospital, said disposal of anonymous bodies is not 'our responsibility'. "We only permit bodies that are submitted to us by the police for postmortem. I have nothing beyond this to offer you on the issue."u00a0u00a0
The secretary to Dr Dewkar, the director, Maharashtra State Aids Control Society, said he was unable to comment on specifics like projects for sex workers because it has only been a month since he assumed office.
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