Since the
sex workers themselves worked as peer educators, the response from
fellow workers was much more open. After initial resistance by vested
interests, the programme took off and soon gathered astonishing
momentum. The trained peer workers visit each tenement and distribute
free condoms.
Sex workers are also persuaded to attend lecture sessions on the
danger of HIV infection and visit the STD centres set up by the
project to make use of the free treatment and tests.
Even the clients are persuaded to learn about safe sex at centres
run in the evening. Today, there are also peer educators among the
men to interact with customers.
These female sex workers admit that most clients do not want to
use condoms but the Sonagachi women have become such a force that
they refuse clients who are reluctant on this count. The chart below
shows a dramatic 50-fold increase since 1992 in female sex workers
who say they now always insist on condom use.
Today, Sonagachi’s success has also been projected as a role
model for other areas to follow. In 1999, the project was handed
over to the self-governing body, a promise that was kept provided
the results were satisfactory.
At the head is Mr Dutta, himself a son of a sex worker, who is not
hesitant to announce this fact. His group includes a self-propelled
cooperative, the “Usha Cooperative Society”, which among
other things, offers women loans in times of need (thus keeping
at bay the loan sharks who used to charge a high interest) to buy
goods for daily needs from reasonably-priced stores. Formerly the
sex workers had to depend on their pimps and madams as they were
discouraged to step out for shopping and paid higher prices.
DMSC networks in other states of India as well as neighbouring Bangladesh
and Nepal. Its latest programme is an awareness campaign and treatment
of tuberculosis among members, particularly in |
