Kolkata, 9 September 2026: Sex worker representatives from six states today came together in Kolkata to launch the Yaunkarmi Adhikar Manch, a platform led by sex workers themselves to defend their rights, dignity and freedom. The Manch brings together sex workers who are committed to combating human trafficking, violence and exploitation, while making a clear distinction between trafficking and the consensual work of adult sex workers. The formation of the Manch comes in the wake of important Supreme Court judgments in 2022 and 2026 affirming the dignity, agency and constitutional rights of adult sex workers. “We do not want decisions about our lives to be made without us. We are not merely people to be rescued or rehabilitated.
We are citizens with rights, voices and the ability to decide our own lives,” the Manch said. The Manch will work to strengthen sex workers’ rights, challenge coercive and discriminatory practices, promote access to justice and social protection, and ensure that anti-trafficking measures protect vulnerable people without violating the rights of adult sex workers. The Yaunkarmi Adhikar Manch is a platform of sex workers and feminist activists, led by sex workers, for sex workers’ rights.
