An introduction to DMSC – A collective of

and by the sex workers

for the sex workers

Presented by

Bharati Dey

Secretary, DMSC

Email: bdey.durbar@gmail.com

sonagachi@sify.com

URL: www.durbar.org

As a fall out effect of a right based HIV preventionprogram (initiated in Kolkata in the early part of 1992)DMSC, a sex worker’s organization came into existence

by 1995. Presently DMSC represents voices of 60,000 sex

workers (Female, Male and Transgender) in the state of West Bengal, India and the organization is involved in various development program including violence redressal activities.

Background

Durbar’s vision: We seek a world where all marginalized

communities of the world will live in an environment with equal

Respect, Rights, Status and Dignity. We hope for a social order

where there will be no discrimination based on class, caste,

gender, religion or occupation. All the people of the world will

live in peace and harmony.

Durbar’s Mission: To enhance a process of social and political

change in order to establish right, dignity and improvement of

social status including that of quality of lives of all the Sex

workers of the world as a part of the global movement to

establish the rights of marginalized people.

Target groups: Sex workers (brothel based & street based), babu, clients of SW, Children of sex workers

49 dedicated STI clinics, condom programming , BCC, care & support to positive women

Total SWs covered : 28045

Total project staff is around 700, 85% of them represent from the community & 15% from non-community

Policy level Advocacy Meeting with parliamentarians Meeting with candidates prior to election

Legal Intervention Challenging clauses of ITPA in the high court.

Advocacy with academia Workshop and seminars with academia and intellectuals

Social activism Parliament march Midnight procession Sit in demonstration

Durbar’s advocacy work

DMSC sees sex work as a contractual service, DMSC sees sex work as a contractual service, negotiated between consenting adults. The organization is against any force exercised against sex workers, be it by the client, brothel keepers, room owners, pimps, local goons, the police or the traffickers.

Negotiated between consenting adults. The organization is against any force exercised against sex workers, be it by the client, brothel keepers, room owners, pimps, local goons, the police or the traffickers.

The Mission of DMSC

Following their principle objective to dissociate sex work form all criminal associations DMSC decided to create a forum to deal with issues of violence including trafficking of women around 1999.

DMSC consider violence against any sex workers is an attack against the organization (Policy document of DMSC 1999)

DMSC developed an effective model to combat violence in sex trade with the active involvement and participation of sex workers’ community.

DMSC subsequently strategized to develop partnership with other government and non-governmental organizations and created a new structure called 'Self Regulatory Board' (SRB).

a) Respect, reliance and recognition of the individual;

b) Basic humane approach (non threatening, not imposing barriers, not restricting movements and allowing social mixing);

c) Respecting the agency of the individuals and her ability to take decision;

d) To help him/her in exerting ‘choices’ and trying

to arrange services instead of taking decision on her behalf);

e) Create an enabling environment to help the community member in preventing violence and promoting rights.

The board is consist of 10-12 members:

i) 6-7 members represents sex workers community (with equal

representation from central and local committees of DMSC)

ii) Remaining 4-5 members are:

a) Local counselor / MLA / MP (representative from local

government)

b) Medical doctor from the Dept. of health

c) Local known advocate / Representative from Bar Council

e) Representative from Women’s Organization / women

activists of repute

f) Representative from Social Welfare Board (Ministry of

women and social welfare)

How does it operate

1. State Mediated2. Trade related3. Domestic

Monitoring any cases of violence including entry of minor girls or forced entry into the sex trade through the volunteers of

DMSC and peer educators of HIV prevention program in place

In case of incidence of any violence or identification of any new entrants into the trade are referred to the

focal person of SRB

Minor / Trafficked women

Task force at DMSC help

designingintervention

with SRB

Counseling & Offering Options

Return to families (DMSC assessacceptability of families

before returning the girls)Sending to Short Stay Homes

Sending to Boarding Schools, linkingwith Vocational Training

Placement in other occupation

Referred to Branch Committee

Combination of Strategies implemented with SRB

Legal intervention ActivismMedia

involvement

Age determination / Counselling

Combination of Strategies to address police violenceMobilization of sex workers through Branch Committee

Lodging FIR at the police station by the victims accompanied by DMSC

members

Advocacy cell informs relevant Administration & Political personalities

Protest letter submitted to women's commission

& Human Rights organization

Media get mobilized

Lawyer's engaged

Demonstration by the sex workers

The Reduction of police raid

162126

9762

36 4222

0

50

100

150

200

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Reduction of police raid

The Reduction of Police Raid throughout the year (Songachi)

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

9 9

67

4

10

No. of Eviction

No. of cases of Eviction by Landlord/Police

29%

26%

28%

14%

3%

Typology of violencePhysical

Psychological

Police violence

Extortion for money

Discriminatory practices

Typology of violence

Anti Trafficking Program Formation of 33 Self Regulatory Boards in 33 red light districts

with full or partial participation of Govt. & other representatives;

No. of minors in Sonagachi goes down from 25% in 1992 to 1.95% in 2010;

Median age of working girls in Sonagachi goes up from 22 in 1992 to 28.15 in 2010;

No. of girls rescued and reintegrated through SRB is 952 (Jan,2001 – December 2010)

.

Impact of Anti trafficking activities undertaken by DMSC

The proportion of minor (age<18 years) girls in red light areas shows decline over the period

Year 1992 1995

1998

2001 2005 2008 2010

% of Girls <18

years

25.29

21.47

3.56

3.12 2.5 2.15 1.95

The median age of sex workers in the red light district has gone up

Year 1992 1995 1998

2001 2005 2008 2010

Median Age (in years)

22 22 27 28 28 28 28.15

Education Programme

Running 37 educational centre in 37 red light districts;

Around 565 sex workers and 1420 children of sex workers are enrolled under our non formal educational program/year

Run 2 hostels for the children of sex workers accommodating 100 children.

At present offering vocational training to 210 sex workers and 43 children/year.

Contd….

The residential home in Baruipur, named RAHUL VIDYA NIKETAN, is located in the southern suburbs of the city. Rahul Vidya Niketan presently houses about 80 children in the age group of 5-14 years. All boarders at Rahul Vidya Niketan have enrolled in local ‘mainstream’ schools and are performing well in academics. In order to improve the children’s access to books, a small library has already been created at Rahul Vidya Niketan. The children are also taking part in various sporting activities and are excelling in it.

Addressing economic insecurity

At present there are more than 16,000 members with annual turn over is equivalent to US $ 2.5 million;

Each year on and average 4500 sex workers took loan to put their children in better education, buy land, engaged in small scale business etc.

Improve economic securities has helped individual sex workers to enforce safer sex with their clients.

We came up with the development of USHA, a sex workers co-operative society of and by the sex workers by 1995

Creating space & championing causes

through cultural activities.

Komol Gandhar, is the cultural wing of sex workers and their children, at present we have five teams representing 120 participants who are engaged in Dance, Drama,

Mime, Street theatre, Songs, Music etc.

They have performed hundred of programs all across the country highlighting issues of HIV, forceful eviction of brothel , discrimination, criminalization through law etc.

Intervention among Domestic and Construction Workers

Sabars of amlasole – setting up of schools for the

children of the sabars and a health centre in amlasole.

Nachnis of purulia – helping them get due recognition

as entertainment workers from the government.

Fishermen of south bengal – formation of their own

organisation and creating health awareness among

them

THANK YOU