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use of condoms. Thus in 1995 he formed 'Durbar Mahila
Samanwaya Committee' (DMSC) with 12 sex workers as stakeholders. By 2012 DMSC had a membership of 65,000 from 48 branches across the state of West Bengal, and continues to be managed by sex workers, their children and government officials as its board members, and has not just female sex workers as its members but also male and
315:(US$ 250,000) distributed amongst its members, which also helped break the monopoly of local moneylenders, who would charge interest rates of up to 300%. The DMSC hosted India's first national convention of sex workers on 14 November 1997 in Kolkata, titled 'Sex Work is Real Work: We Demand Workers Rights'.
284:
for sex workers and over the years, it has worked towards sensitizing general public about rights of sex workers, often initiating debate and discussion in public media and press, besides advocating abolition of 'The
Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956' (PITA), and legalisation of sex work. Many
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team was formed from amongst the sex workers and provided training. Shortly after, studies revealed larger issues amongst sex workers, such as sex workers rights, education of their children, access to financial services and handling of harassment by police and local thugs, along with promoting the
346:
in West Bengal. DMSC also implements STD/HIV intervention
Programme among street-based sex workers and their clients, covering a population of over 20,000 sex workers and migrant labourers. DMSC currently implements and runs STD/HIV intervention programmes in 49 sex work sites in West Bengal.
243:
The group is overtly political in its aims of fighting for the recognition of prostitution as legal work and, of sex workers as workers and, for a secure social existence of sex workers and their children. They work for the legalisation of prostitution and seek to reform laws that restrict
354:- Respect, Reliance and Recognition. Respect towards sex workers, Reliance on the knowledge and wisdom of the community of sex workers and, Recognition of sex work as an occupation, for protecting their occupational and human rights.
338:) since 1999. The ownership and management of the Sonagachi Project was taken over by DMSC from the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, a central government public health training and research institute based in
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673:
Cornish & Ghosh 2007 The necessary contradictions of community-led health promotion: A case study of HIV prevention in an Indian red light district. Social
Science & Medicine, 64, 596-507
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Durbar is active in building broader alliances to promote HIV prevention, care and support for HIV infected and affected individuals and families both at the national and regional levels.
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prevention. The Durbar states that its aims are the challenging and altering of the barriers that form the everyday reality of sex workers' lives as they relate to their poverty or their
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342:, which had initiated the programme in 1992. After gaining control of the STD/HIV Intervention Programme in 1999, DMSC began replicating the Sonagachi model in other
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240:(NACO), who also help Durbar in its initiatives like networking, rights protection and creating alternative livelihood for sex workers.
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326:. Its cultural wing, 'Komol Gandhar', teaches dance, drama, mime and music to children, who invited regularly for paid shows.
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232:. Durbar runs 51 free clinics for sex workers across West Bengal, with support from organisations such as the
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560:"Coronavirus lockdown: NGOs ask West Bengal govt to set up community quarantine centre for sex workers"
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sex workers now have voters identity cards, health insurance and even bank accounts. In 1995, its
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DMSC runs 17 non-formal schools for children of sex workers, and two hostels, one at
605:"DEAD ZONES: Fighting Back in India.; Calcutta's Prostitutes Lead the Fight on AIDS"
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Peer educators of the Durbar Mahila
Samanwaya Committee in the streets of Kolkata
439:"The new rhythms of Sonagachi: As the city's sex workers collective turns 20..."
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The
Changing Status of Women in West Bengal, 1970-2000: the challenge ahead
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The Durbar runs the STD/HIV Intervention
Programme (commonly known as the
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altered the state's cooperative law to register it as a sex workers
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680:: an international development cooperation story for the Wikibook
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programme, 'Usha' (literally meaning light), ensured that the
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NGO Connect The Shakti
Newsletter Issue 18. Jan / Feb 2004
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189:"Unstoppable Women's Synthesis Committee"), or simply
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471:"Sex workers' union gives them the power to say no"
350:The approach of Durbar's programme is based on the
256:On 15 February 1992, public health scientist Dr.
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628:Jasodhara Bagchi; Sarmistha Dutta Gupta (2005).
549:, announcement of the 1997 sex worker convention
262:All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health
540:Sex work is real work: We demand workers rights
280:Since its inception, it has been working as an
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1297:Women's rights organisations based in India
1282:Organizations that combat human trafficking
488:Sex workers demand labour rights on May Day
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656:Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee Website
490:DNA India â Tuesday, 1 May 2007 17:52 IST
268:for a HIV intervention research study. A
264:, Kolkata, visited the red-light area of
16:Nonprofit organization in Calcutta, India
460:, Volume 22 â Issue 08, 12â25 March 2005
1257:Sex worker organisations based in India
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308:(US$ 1.2 million), with loan of
201:. Established on 15 February 1992, in
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387:World Charter for Prostitutes' Rights
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1252:1995 establishments in West Bengal
661:Anti-Trafficking Website of Durbar
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238:National AIDS Control Organisation
14:
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1277:HIV/AIDS prevention organizations
1272:Organizations established in 1995
876:Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee
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176:Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee
22:Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee
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687:Development Cooperation Handbook
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1287:HIV/AIDS organizations in India
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402:Garstin Bastion Road, New Delhi
187:Durbar Mohila Shômonbôe Shomiti
1262:Organisations based in Kolkata
748:Prostitution in colonial India
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1:
830:Chaturbhuj Sthan, Muzaffarpur
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758:Prostitution in Kuki society
193:, is a collective of 60,000
7:
592:The Songachi project is 12!
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184:āĻĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻ° āĻŽāĻšāĻŋāĻ˛āĻž āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¨ā§āĻŦāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ¸āĻŽāĻŋāĻ¤āĻŋ
52:; 29 years ago
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1302:Human trafficking in India
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871:All Bengal Women's Union
545:12 December 2006 at the
392:All Bengal Women's Union
1059:Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
907:Bangalore Nagarathnamma
753:Prostitution in Kolkata
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528:
455:A missionary enterprise
377:Prostitution in Kolkata
763:Prostitution in Mumbai
382:Prostitution in Mumbai
222:anti-human trafficking
1292:Prostitution in India
1087:Pati Patni Aur Tawaif
864:NGOs and associations
818:Major red-light areas
743:Prostitution in India
724:Prostitution in India
367:Prostitution in India
850:Shivdaspur, Varanasi
372:Prostitution in Asia
287:consumer cooperative
895:Notable individuals
845:Meergunj, Allahabad
840:Kamathipura, Mumbai
768:Sacred prostitution
678:Living with dignity
666:8 July 2008 at the
507:on 19 February 2012
501:"History of Durbar"
477:. 30 November 2009.
444:. 24 February 2012.
215:sex workers' rights
23:
1267:Sexuality in India
1001:Born into Brothels
986:In popular culture
912:Begum Hazrat Mahal
855:Sonagachi, Kolkata
825:Budhwar Peth, Pune
610:The New York Times
407:Budhwar Peth, Pune
207:red-light district
21:
1169:
1168:
799:Nagarvadhu system
738:Indian Penal Code
641:978-0-7619-3242-0
613:. 4 January 1999.
412:Male prostitution
336:Sonagachi Project
322:and the other at
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152:Dr. Smarajit Jana
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503:. Archived from
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967:Zeenat Begum
962:Tulasa Thapa
947:Moran Sarkar
942:Mah Laqa Bai
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575:. Retrieved
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509:. Retrieved
505:the original
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291:micro-credit
289:society and
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246:human rights
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209:in Kolkata,
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122:Putul Halder
106:Membership
39:Abbreviation
18:
1154:(2006 film)
1146:(1981 film)
1053:(2002 film)
1045:(1955 film)
1029:Chandni Bar
927:Gauhar Jaan
917:Begum Samru
777:Professions
511:25 February
397:Kamathipura
299:cooperative
275:transgender
211:West Bengal
199:West Bengal
195:sex workers
142:Bharati Dey
111:sex workers
99:West Bengal
1246:Categories
1152:Umrao Jaan
1144:Umrao Jaan
937:Lal Kunwar
932:Kanhopatra
418:References
313:2.12 crore
306:9.75 crore
132:Kajol Bose
1073:MeghadÅĢta
994:Amar Prem
572:0971-751X
564:The Hindu
458:Frontline
320:Ultadanga
266:Sonagachi
230:ostracism
203:Sonagachi
128:Secretary
118:President
80:Sonagachi
47:Formation
1236:Feminism
1224:Sex work
1160:Zubeidaa
1080:Pakeezah
972:Zohrabai
957:Roopmati
902:Amrapali
886:Prajwala
664:Archived
634:. SAGE.
543:Archived
361:See also
324:Baruipur
248:of sex.
236:and the
226:HIV/AIDS
218:advocacy
73:Location
1174:Portals
1138:(novel)
1022:Chameli
977:Zubeida
881:Sanlaap
731:General
577:26 July
340:Kolkata
252:History
180:Bengali
164:.durbar
157:Website
84:Kolkata
55: (
1122:Tawaif
1108:Sadhna
1094:Pyaasa
1051:Devdas
1043:Devdas
1008:Bazaar
809:Tawaif
638:
570:
191:Durbar
138:Mentor
1188:India
1101:Sadak
1066:Mandi
1036:Dev.D
636:ISBN
579:2022
568:ISSN
513:2012
475:Mint
442:Mint
352:3 Rs
224:and
174:The
166:.org
65:Type
57:1995
50:1995
42:DMSC
260:of
197:in
162:www
68:CBO
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426:^
220:,
182::
82:,
1176::
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709:t
702:v
689:.
644:.
581:.
515:.
311:âš
304:âš
178:(
59:)
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