Earlier known as Madras, Chennai is the largest city and capital of Tamil Nadu. Famous for Pongal, the festival to celebrate the produce of agriculture. Chennai is home to sex workers from across the country. Sex work started in this city in British times. Like other places in India, the red light area in Chennai is not centralised.
But here in this blog, we will talk about the women who live here with the tag of “sex worker”. Women in these have been living a life which they aspire to. They work, cry, eat and sleep. Their life is a struggle to be depicted in the movies. Let’s get into the secret paths of the adult industry of Chennai city.
Stories From the Red Light Area in Chennai
Radh was 19 years old when she arrived in the city with her husband. Her husband sold her newly married wife to a brothel. They forcefully used Radha for sex work. Now 34, Radha has a 12-year-old daughter who studies in school unknown of her mother’s occupation.
Kaviotha was 15 when trafficked from Andhra Pradesh to Chennai. Whenever she refused to give services to any client, the brothel’s people beat her. She tried to run away many times, but was brought back again for more torture. Police rescued her, and now she is living in a rehabilitation centre run by an NGO.
Meena, 29, is one of the call girls in Chennai who do sex work during the day but do some other work at night. Meena teaches women in her building at night so that they can make their lives better. She loves English and now teaches the alphabet, writing names and how to read signs. The society has buried the stories and the tears of these women under a heap of ignorance.
The Birthplaces of These Stories (Chennai’s Red Light Areas)
Chennai’s sex industry is scattered in different places and not very open. Famous among only local people, these areas have become hell for the service provider women. A list of some of these areas is:
Kodambakkam: In the western region of Chennai, you can find Kodambakkam. Because of the aspiring actors living here, it is the heart of the Tamil film industry. But it is also a well-known red light area in Chennai. Sex workers operate here in brothels and small apartments. They work under the banner of massage and spa services.
Periamet: It is located at Chennai railway station, and local people know about it very well. Sex work happens here in small hotels and lodges discreetly. Being near a railway station, locals and people from outside the city come here.
Egmore: Sex work in this area operates online rather than offline. People book an escort in Chennai through their mobile phones in this area. Some of the hotels also make arrangements for call girl service in this area.
Anna Salai (Mount Road): In Anna Salai, sex work operates in upscale hotels and massage parlours. Escort services are more expensive here than in other red light areas in Chennai. Affluent people come here to satisfy their needs.
Purasaiwakkam: Sex work in Purasaiwakkam is not openly notable, but some media reports suggest that it also has a red light area in Chennai. Agents of the sex workers rent rooms for the clients to provide them with adult services.
Online and App-Based Sex Work: Chennai’s adult industry has also started operating on the internet. Through mobile based applications and classified websites such as Royal Escort Club to find the adult services they access an escort service in Chennai.
What do they need: hope?
Women who work in this industry do not come here by their own choice. Hence, they want to get out of this place. They need access to education and healthcare. Apart from them, education regarding sexually transmitted diseases is also required to safeguard them from HIV and AIDS and other STDs. The police need to be respectful toward these women because police officials also harass them when they raid red light areas in Chennai.
Not so evidently, but some of the changes can be seen. NGOs are helping sex workers to educate themselves towards STDs. They are providing healthcare facilities for the women and education for their children so that they do not need to pursue this profession.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have talked about the red light area in Chennai and how the women who work in this area. The women are trying to survive the cruelty of the world. Society does not care about these women and their children, who are on the verge of getting into this profession if not rescued timely.
Governments need to take action to improve their lives. Pension for the old and retired women, job security and education for their children so that they can choose a life of their choice. Sex Worker in India go through a lot of hardship in their lives.
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