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States » SouthPosted at: Jun 2 2025 7:47PM


VIMUKTHI urges government to protect rights of sex workers

Vijayawada, June 2 (UNI) VIMUKTHI, the State Federation of Women Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking, appealed to the Government of Andhra Pradesh to urgently protect the rights of nearly 1.33 lakh sex workers and trafficking survivors in the state.

The Federation demands community-based rehabilitation programs, legal compensation, and inclusion under all relevant welfare schemes. The demand was made by Apoorva, President of VIMUKTHI, during a state-level meeting held on the occasion of International Sex Workers’ Rights Day at the Community Hall in Ranigari Thota, Vijayawada.
International Sex Workers’ Rights Day is observed on June 2nd globally, commemorating the 1975 protest by sex workers in Belgium demanding safety, dignity, and recognition.
Citing the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare's 2021–22 Annual Report, Apoorva stated that Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of women in sex work in India, with over 1.33 lakh women dependent on this livelihood. Approximately 2.25 lakh family members rely on them. Including migrant sex workers, the actual number may be even higher.
According to APSACS (2022), over 40,000 sex workers in the state are above the age of 40 and unable to exit the profession due to a lack of alternate livelihoods. In Krishna, Guntur, and Prakasam districts, over 35,000 women are engaged in sex work, supporting around 64,000 dependents, including 14,400 elderly women. These women face intense social stigma, loneliness, and mental distress, compounded by poverty and exclusion from state welfare schemes.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), between 2016–2022, 2,460 trafficking survivors were rescued in AP. However, 90 percent received no services or entitlements. Through RTI, VIMUKTHI found that 2,737 survivors were housed in rehabilitation centers between 2019 and June 2023 of whom 2, 265 in Ujjwala home, 447 in Swadhar homes, and 25 victims were in the homes run by NGOs. Yet, only 692 applied for services, and just 592 received any support—a mere 22 percent service coverage.
VIMUKTHI also made several demands. Some key demands included phasing out shelter-based rehabilitation and adopting a community-based rehabilitation model, immediate implementation of NHRC recommendations issued in 2020 and 2021, enforcement of 2003, 2012, and 2015 government orders, low-interest loans for alternative livelihoods, ensuring effective implementation of rehabilitation, compensation, healthcare, education, and employment, and institutionalizing community-based rehabilitation at the district and mandal levels.
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