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An important thread on #sexwork and #COVID-19 in India. 
On 9/10, an #NHRC advisory recognised #sexworkers as informal economy workers & called for the community, which has been devastated by the pandemic, to have access to much needed state benefits https://www.punekarnews.in/now-sex-workers-recognised-as-informal-workers-national-human-rights-commission/
On 9/10, an #NHRC advisory recognised #sexworkers as informal economy workers & called for the community, which has been devastated by the pandemic, to have access to much needed state benefits https://www.punekarnews.in/now-sex-workers-recognised-as-informal-workers-national-human-rights-commission/
This outcome emerged through the incredible work of @NNSWIndia on behalf of the 19 sex workers' collectives within the network. These orgs have been providing relief to sex workers during #COVID19 when their livelihoods disappeared overnighted, with no access to public funds.
Unfortunately on 15/10, a well known abolitionist decried the advisory as a 'human rights violation', accusing #NHRC of 'legitimising' sex work during the pandemic. This was on the oft-repeated grounds that all sex work is exploitation. https://thefederal.com/news/sunitha-krishnan-nhrc-advisory-sex-work/amp/
This blanket ideological-led homogenisation of all #sexwork as #trafficking ignores the nuanced realities of the lives of women who enter sex work in India. In the context of the pandemic it is not only ill-timed but dangerous, exacerbating the women's ongoing vulnerabilities.
#NHRC has unfortunately agreed to entertain this denouncement throwing the advisory & all the tremendous work that has gone into it, into disarray. To stop this & ensure #sexworkers have access to state welfare benefits PLEASE sign this open letter: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9N908JbKsJaPwyTFlVGiVK_3bnl9X4N-h69zE07oHlKd-wQ/viewform?gxids=7757
There is a time and place to debate links between the experiences of women in sex work and human trafficking. To regurgitate this ideological debate in the middle of a global pandemic when sex workers have been scraping through to survive is selfish, irresponsible and cruel.
To all the abolitionists out there, how have you helped the community during this life changing pandemic? Have you been out in the streets to support women & their families or does your activism only involve thwarting the incredible work of grass roots sex work orgs? Shameful!
FYI, there is a ton of research out there on how a homogenous abolitionist approach harms sex workers in India. My own research corroborates this: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13552074.2018.1429098
Please share and RT this to increase visibility for the open letter! 
