Sex workers recount journey into flesh trade
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 08 2018: Owing to death of their husband in road mishap and from drug addiction and atrocities meted out by family members, many women were forced to become sex workers only to survive and look after their children.

Talking to The Sangai Express, one of the sex workers Tilotama (34) (name changed for confidentiality) from Imphal West district, who lingers in hotels at Paona Bazar waiting for clients said that she has two sons and a daughter and her husband died in a road accident when her daughter was only three months old.

Tilotama narrated that she used to work as a weaver in the past but the money she fetched from the trade could not look after the needs of her family.

"Left with no option, I decided to become a sex worker to feed my children and give education to them.

There are hotels at Paona Bazar where I get customers.

I have been in the sex business for the last four years", she confessed.

Sex workers recount journey into flesh trade

She mentioned that a sum of Rs 500 is taken from a customer with Rs 200 deducted for the hotel owner and Rs 100 as the room charge.

The remaining amount (Rs 200) stay with me, she added.

She divulged that some organisations carried out raids in some hotels at Paona Bazar and pulled up sex workers.

There have been instances when members of the organisations beat sex workers and snatched their money and mobile phone, she contended.

She observed that sex workers should be guided towards an alternative means of living instead of beating them and snatching their belongings.

Another sex worker, Chong (30) (name changed) from Churachandpur recounted that her husband died after contracting malaria leaving behind two sons with one aged about 5-year-old studying in Class II and the other aged about 7-year-old studying in Class III .

She said earlier she worked as a labour for construction work but left it later as she was finding it hard to sustain her family with the meagre amount of money she got from the work.

Chong regretted that she spent so many sleepness nights thinking about her sons and at last she decided to work as a sex worker at Paona Bazar.

She said that she also takes up any available job at her home town to get extra money.

She asserted that it is better to earn money as a sex worker rather than begging money from others and stealing things.

She made a fervent appeal to the concerned organisations to stop arresting them and taking their money and mobile phone afterwards and instead provide them with options for means of living so that they could leave the business of flesh trade.

Najima Bibi (28) (name changed) from Imphal East, who has two daughters confessed that she entered the business after her husband married to another woman.

She said that her husband's decision to marry another woman came as a shocker to her.

Najima said that she and her two daughters are staying in a rented house and the only means for her to look after her family is through the sex business.

She revealed that the number of divorced women and unmarried women engaged in the sex business at Paona Bazar is massive.

Sharing her journey into the flesh trade, Jeli (37) (name changed) from Ukhrul district, whose husband died from drug addiction admitted that she became a drug addict after the demise of her husband and that she entered the business of flesh trade to quench her hunger for drugs.