Ironically, not having residence proof has not prevented from from getting voters’ ID cards, indicating that the system confers documents to them when it needs them politically, but does not respond to their economic, social and political rights. Lack of bank accounts are a double whammy - on the one hand, it prevents women in prostitution from accessing any financial or welfare services that may be routed through bank loans or credit through financial institutions, and on the other hand, it keeps the women dependent on local money lenders for loans. These loan sharks charge anything between 24% to 60% interest on a monthly basis, which keeps these women perpetually in debt, and without any savings. Needless to say, these loan sharks have substantial interest to keep the state of affairs alive. Contrary to the Government of India’s efforts to minimize cash economy and black money in the system, the system forces women in prostitution to exist only in cash economies and sustain mafia and extortionists to draw their capital from here.

- Stigma towards sex work have also kept women in prostitution alienated from accessing mainstream services, drawing support from Panchayats or district administration or even so-cial welfare offices. On the one hand, women in prostitution are morally judged by society negatively. While the law does not overtly criminalize women in prostitution, law enforce-ment selectively uses prohibitions on solicitation to threaten disruption and use it to extort bribes. The prejudice and stigma towards women in prostitution is all pervasive, across policy, law enforcers and civil society. This alienation forces a woman in prostitution to remain financially and socially, and psychologically dependent on prostitution and ghettos of red light districts, which in turn become exploitation hubs for its high cash turnover.

- Dependence on substance abuse, tolerate of violence and exploitation by their male live in partners, are results and impact of the internalized guilt and shame that women in prostitu-tion are inflicted with by society, as well as by authority and duty bearers and service provid-ers.

- When women get older and their income falls, there are only 3 ways for her to cope with the fall in income (a) the preferred way that most women work towards is for their children to have found alternative livelihood and take over financial responsibilities (b) for her to get other younger women or girls to work for her, and for her to become the madam or brothel manager and (c) economic activities within the red light area - including trading, running small businesses. For the latter, given the lack of any financial services, the latter is challeng-ing.

• 1. Access to financial services provided by the state and national governments, meant for women in poverty and marginalised situations. This includes provisions for their bank accounts, and ensuring their tenancy rights.
• 2. State and national governments to build a policy and strategy to help stop debt bondage and the dependence on loan sharks and access to welfare services.
• 3. The JJ Act and ICPS to have targeted interventions for protection of children from stigma and discrimination and support services to continue with their education, and address their mental health issues.
• 4. State governments (DWCD) to constitute monitoring agencies to stop institutionalised extor-tion of women in prostitution and threat and harassment by the police.
• 5. CWCs to take proactive measures to monitor and prevent child sexual exploitation in these communities and outside. ICPS agencies, SCPS and DCPUs to formalise a mandate of protec-tion of children of women in prostitution and build intervention strategies and services that protect children from abuse, violence and exploitation and create opportunities for social em-powerment. Educational loans that make it possible for children to study in boarding schools. NOT restrict these interventions to rescue and institutionalising children in shelter homes run by governments or NGOs which are closed institutions because these are experienced as incar-ceration centres that compound the problem than solve them.
• 6. Community based rehabilitation for ageing sex workers, to diversify their livelihood options and building collectives like Vimukthi to challenge stigma and discrimination. NO forced rescue and incarceration in shelter homes.
• 7. Law enforcement to focus on identifying and prosecuting traffickers and sex offenders who prostitute children, implementation of POCSO, without threatening or intimidating adult sex workers.

Vimukthi endorses legal reform on human trafficking, which should separate trafficking from prostitution. Vimukthi advocates for separation of law and policy on trafficking and prostitution. It believes that there should be separate national and state policy for protection of women in prostitution and their children and not clubbed with anti trafficking law which is essentially to criminalise trafficking, and not prostitution.