Economic Empowerment of Women in Sex Work and/or Victims of Sex Trafficking through Entrepreneurship Development Initiatives in Maharashtra

Lockdowns, travel restrictions, resource cutbacks and other measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus are putting victims of human trafficking at risk of further exploitation, while organized crime networks could further profit from the pandemic, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Women in sex work and victims of trafficking are now at greater risk of re-trafficking. The extended duration of lockdown making it extremely difficult to earn livelihood as well as access any financial support at this point or in near future. Most of them have been bread earners for the family but due to loss of employment/source of earning, women in sex work and victims of Human trafficking, today, are vulnerable to indebtedness, violence and exploitation.

The situation is similar with the restored survivors of trafficking. Those who were working in informal sector are now without jobs for several months and at a risk of being pushed into more exploitative situation.

The proposed Project aims to bridge the skill-gaps between the women in or rescued from prostitution and Self-Employment Opportunities. It will facilitate selection of 100 women in or rescued from prostitution to make informed choices about their livelihood, get trained in market oriented self-employability skills to develop small enterprises and access funds, savings and enterprise development support. It uses a skills training model and an array of other interventions that equip the women be entrepreneurs and work towards financial independence. The aim of the intervention is to generate meaningful, sustainable and economically stimulating self-employment for the women in or rescued prostitution in Maharashtra. Women in prostitution or those who are rescued are vulnerable to exploitation or at a risk of being pushed to the same exploitative situation due to lack of sustainable livelihood. The intervention offers skills training in entrepreneurship development for empowerment of women in or rescued from prostitution and life skills, access to seed money as to start-up capital and mentoring.

The specific objectives are:

1. To train 100 women in or rescued from prostitution in entrepreneurship development
2. To support 50 survivors of sex trafficking rescued in Maharashtra to set up small-scale enterprise development and provision of start-up grants

A livelihood option as a means of economic rehabilitation leading to economic empowerment is the logical end of the rehabilitation process. It is imperative to focus on economic rehabilitation strategies as part of the overall social reintegration process - as this is the key to providing economic independence to survivors, ensuring them an identity in society, and making their relapse into an exploitative situation unlikely.

The proposed intervention aims at providing crucial services of Counselling, Life Skills, financial literacy and training in Entrepreneurship Development to women in sex work and victims of sex trafficking in urban and rural parts of Maharashtra state These interventions could get them a new lease of life and be an source of livelihood that is non exploitative and gives agency to women. Hence the intervention aims to provide entrepreneurship training and seed money support as rehabilitation measures. Providing education and assistance for enterprise is undoubtedly a good medium to ensure a sustainable income making their chances of falling back to same exploitative situations less likely.