National Human Rights Commission recognised sex workers as informal workers

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recognised sex workers as informal workers in their advisory issued on October 7 on “Human Rights of Women in the context of COVID 19”.

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Key-Points

The NHRC in an effort to secure the rights of all women who have been excluded and marginalised during the Covid-19 pandemic, included sex workers as informal workers in their advisory on ‘Women at Work’.

The advisory asked the Ministries of Women, Labour, Social Justice, Health, and Consumer Affairs in all states and UTs to recognise sex workers as informal workers and register them so they are able to avail the benefits of a worker.

Social activist Sunitha Krishnan, founder of the advocacy Prajwala, opposed this advisory on the ground that the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act lays down that the institution of prostitution is illegal. Hence Government of India never recognised sex work.

But her view has been criticized by various feminist groups who hailed the advisory as an important milestone in achieving constitutional rights for sex workers.