MUMBAI: A survey on the working conditions and background of women working in dance bars here refutes the claim that they were trafficked in from Bangladesh, as suggested by some politicians, or that they are forced into sex work.

The survey, released here on Monday, was conducted by the Research Centre for Women's Studies, SNDT University along with non-governmental organisations such as Akshara, the Forum Against Oppression of Women (FAOW), Majlis, Point of View and Awaaz-e-Niswan.

The survey consists of interviews with 500 women working in 50 dance bars. Only six of them were not Indians and they came from Nepal, and not Bangladesh.Up to 17.4 per cent of the women were from Maharashtra, principally Mumbai, contrary to the belief that only a very small of the dance girls were Maharashtrians. Most of them were aged between 21 and 25 and only three were under 18. Contrary to the perception that a bar dancer made lakhs of rupees every night, 42.8 per cent of them earned less than Rs. 10,000 a month and only less than five per cent earned above Rs. 30,000.

The report says rehabilitation will prove difficult as these women were not educated. They will be forced into sex work if the ban on dance bars is implemented. Some dancers said their only option would be suicide.

The report recommends that the bars be not banned. Instead, the working conditions of the dancers should be regularised.

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