The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sex workers demand right to vote

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 21, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Sex workers demand right to vote

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 20. Having remained faceless for long, 4,500 sex workers in Delhi are raring for a change and have written to the Chief Election Commissioner asking for their names to be included in the electoral rolls.

Having fought tooth and nail since 1994 for inclusion of their names in the rolls, the women re-started their crusade of sorts early this year, having written to the Election Commission in January and again this February for the addition. They are yet to get a reply. Delhi alone has 4,500 sex workers of which only 640 have received their voters IDs, which enables them to participate in the elections.

"The women have no ration card or any kind of identity cards and the women who employ them do not make the effort to do anything for these sex workers. Delhi has 14 buildings housing these women where 96 brothels operate. Also, this area has a very large moving population. But none of these women have either identity cards and they have been traditionally kept out of elections," said Khairati Lal Bhola, who heads a non-government organisation Bharatiya Patita Uddhar Sabha, which is leading the protest.

As per the last survey conducted by the Government, there are about 23 lakh sex workers with 52 lakh children living in 1,100 red light areas of the country. "They are all citizen of India and have the right to vote as per the Constitutions. And despite repeated requests the names of over 70 per cent sex workers and their children have not been enrolled in the electoral rolls. The Election Commission had promised us that officials will also visit the difficult area personally to update the lists, but this area has remained untouched," added Mr. Bhola.

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