Kolkata: Sex workers of Sonagachi battle pandemic with hope of rebuilding their lives 

The sex workers of Kolkata's Sonagachi area were left with no income during the lockdown months of 2020 and 2021. They are now slowly trying to rebuild their lives as Covid curbs are eased in West Bengal.

The sex workers of Asia's largest red-light area, Sonagachi in Kolkata, are relieved now that the West Bengal government has gradually eased lockdown restrictions. The pandemic left them with no income during the lockdown months of 2020 and 2021. Even now, their problems are far from over with only a few people making their way to Sonagachi these days. As a result, these sex workers’ earnings are a lot less than they used to be. "This is Sonagachi where four to five girls stay in one room. Things are better now, but business has still not picked up much. Sex workers have been in a bad situation ever since everything was closed. If we don’t have money, how will we eat?" said one sex worker. She is also a volunteer of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, a welfare organisation for sex workers across West Bengal.