Social Distancing of the Distanced: Untold Stories of Women Formerly Exploited for Commercial Sex during the Pandemic
Sharon Menezes, PhD, MSW & Vijay Raghavan, PhD, MSW | September 22 | 10:15-11:15 AM
Topic: Research, International | Knowledge Level: Advanced
Prayas is a field action project of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai, India that journeys with women formerly exploited for commercial sex towards reconstructing safe and violence-free lives. The Indian government’s imposition of a lockdown to control the COVID-19 spread led Prayas to undertake a needs assessment study to examine immediate and far-reaching impact of the lockdown and strategize future intervention. The lockdown challenged women’s access to basic necessities like food, shelter, water, child support, and medical care. Their distress, largely invisible to the state, civil society, and community, was compounded by their exclusion from relief and welfare measures. They were considered less deserving of support, or they isolated themselves knowing that their departure from family and community would invite social ostracism. Experiences with loneliness, social exclusion, and threats from traffickers apart, a few women deliberated engaging with exploitative agents like pimps and money lenders; this time, with “consent”. Having been stigmatized and socially distanced from family and community for many years account for their non-normative gender pathways and coping strategies, and their predicaments during the pandemic were aggravated. Based on voices of seventeen (17) respondents of the study, and another ten (10) women who reached out to Prayas for support, this presentation discusses how women navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, and their journeys to reclaim agency over their lives and choices. Juxtaposing women’s experiences of social distancing during the pandemic with that across their life stages, it argues for socially just rehabilitation and inclusive intervention strategies.
Presentation Objectives:
· Voice the circumstances of women formerly exploited for commercial sex, and make visible their challenges, distress, and agency
· Highlight the need for state and other social supports to socially distanced and stigmatized individuals, groups, and communities
· Lend insight into pathways for intervention to protect women from leading aggravated marginalized lives in crises and prevent re-trafficking