RLA Mapping Is Undertaken in the Months of February and March in All the Rlas Where NCC Services Are Being Provided

RED-LIGHT AREA MAPPING: KAMATHIPURA

MARCH 2019 PAGE | 01 Prerana In 1986, Prerana began its work in the red-light areas (RLA) of Mumbai the financial capital of India. As an important port city, it has been a hub for sex trafficking. Prerana works in the RLAs of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai (a planned twin city of Mumbai) namely Kamathipura, Falkland Road and Vashi-Turbhe. It runs several services on a 24x7 basis in the midst of these RLAs. It's flagship service to end intergenerational sex trafficking being the Night Care Centers (NCC) – a nighttime shelter for children living in the RLAs.

The Kamathipura Red-Light Area The Kamathipura red-light area spans across 14 lanes between Grant Road and Mumbai Central. The area features claustrophobic lanes where one comes across old and extremely dilapidated infrastructure and superstructures. The electrification and water supply systems are deteriorated beyond repairs and frequently cause mishaps. The walls are covered with red-colored stains of the sputum thrown after chewing betel nut paan which is a common habit among the residents and visitors while the lanes are dotted with stinking garbage heaps.

The commercial sexual activity that takes place in the brothels reduces sex to a mere mechanical, physical and exploitative activity and can be found to be disgusting by a civilized person. The brothels are interspersed with a variety of shops that mainly cater to the sex trade customers – from hairdressing salons and restaurants to paan-cigarette joints and liquor stores. The area is also filled with a number of quacks (unlicensed medical practitioners) mostly specialized in treating sexually transmitted diseases. There are several video parlors that openly play X-rated films, day and night. They also supply X-rated films, video players, (and TV sets if needed) to the brothels on demand. The inside lanes have gambling dens and joints supplying X-rated films, liquor and hard drugs.

Kamathipura RLA is not a neighborhood, community, colony or a typical mainstream society. In the night, the place is littered with a very large number of unfamiliar faces desperately seeking women, girls, boys or eunuchs for their extra marital sexual pleasure. Currently, in the 1st lane of Kamathipura, one building is occupied by eunuchs, young boys and men to meet the demands for commercial homosexual sex.

Victims of the sex trade meet with the ultimate form of multilayered violence. The girls and young women continue to be under the watchful eyes of their traffickers, brothel keepers and pimps. Several studies have shown that they earn very little, are perpetually in debt and suffer from a variety of illnesses.

Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. Kamathipura being very close to the commercial heart of Mumbai has caught the attention of the fast-growing commercial establishments, housing sectors and thus the land sharks. As the city grew, the sex trade also grew in number but the traditional RLAs had severe limits on their expansion. Several changes occurred as a result of many factors. The sex trade started growing in different parts of the city in a dispersed manner. There was a definite change of hands from brothels to commercial establishments. The total size of the sex trade is believed to have increased in the city but the sex trade in the RLAs certainly decreased. PAGE | 02 Rea-Light Area Mapping Over the years, Prerana has witnessed significant changes in these historical RLAs. In 2010, Prerana began routinely mapping the superstructures in these RLAs. Through this exercise, the team of Prerana social workers (henceforth ref to as ‘Team’) is able to identify the changing structures and dynamics of the RLAs, as understanding this is crucial for planning its services and strategies.

The annual RLA mapping is undertaken in the months of February and March in all the RLAs where NCC services are being provided.

This document details the findings and data collected by the Team and has been collected directly from the residents/women/persons living in the RLAs.

The above image is a pictorial depiction of Kamathipura using Goolge maps. PAGE | 03 Commercial & Other Establishments:

2016 2017 2018 2019

NGOs 10 11 11 12

Restaurants 15 15 15 16 & Tea Stalls

BMC Health 3 3 3 3 Posts A number of clinics are run by 'quacks', Clinics 11 11 11 11 (unlicensed medical practitioners).

Medical 5 5 5 5 Stores

Video Game 4 0 0 0 Parlors

Pan/Bidi 26 26 27 27 Shops

Police 1 1 1 1 There are 3 Stations beats/ chowki's within the RLA. Play Grounds, 2 2 2 2 Gardens

BMC 2 2 2 2 Schools

Private Schools 3 3 3 3 & Colleges

Ration Shops 3 3 3 3 (Grocers)

Caterers 6 6 10 12 PAGE | 04 Commercial & Other Establishments:

2016 2017 2018 2019

Video Parlous 2 4 2 2

Bus Stops 2 2 2 2

Manufacturing Units

Caps 15 16 17 15

Iron & Tar 21 20 22 21 A number of these Leather Shoe Makers 7 7 8 8 bag manufacturing units operate out of Bags 158 158 152 155 buildings also occupied by brothels. Jariwala 6 6 8 8 (Jari work on sarees)

The NGOs working in the RLA of Kamathipura are: Asha Mahila Sanstha, Prakalp, Salvation Army, Bombay Teen Challenge, Social Activities Integration (SAI), Apne Aap, Navjeevan, Sahas Foundation, Jyoti Kalash, Oasis, Darpan Foundation, Living Water Mission, Mumbai Smiles. Mumbai Smiles began working in Kamathipura in 2019. PAGE | 05 Brothels:

464 455 433 447

160 159 144 152

111 107 121 111

49 48 42 48

16 14 15 16 63 66 60 62 12 12 12 12

13 12 7 6 14 14 10 11 12 10 11 13 14 13 13 14 Year

Street/Lane names in the Kamathipura red-light area

The above data displays the number of brothels running in the RLA. Since 2016, there has been a consistent dip in the number of brothels, but in 2019, it was noticed that 14 brothels were reopened. Following are a few observations on the data:

In 2016, a building on the 11th lane was under repair, the brothel operating there were shut down. In 2017 after the repairs were completed seven brothels were reopened and continue to run till date.

In 2016, a total of 28 ‘Bungalow styled caged brothels’ were operating in the Kamathipura RLA. These are well furnished and air-conditioned unlike the 'caged brothels' seen in the Falkland Rd. RLA. Women here are held in captivity and forced to service the sex trade customers. This number considerably dropped in 2019 and now there are only four ‘Bungalow style caged brothels’ operating in Kamathipura RLA. They have been replaced by guest houses/lodging houses.

Faras Road and Sukhalaji Street (referred to as FR+SS in the above data) comprise of both rooms occupied by ‘bar girls’ and brothels. A total of 131 rooms are occupied by bar girls, while 13 are occupied by brothels. Unlike the brothels in Kamathipura, the rooms occupied by the bar girls are well furnished, most featuring marbled floors and air conditioning. These rooms generally house six to seven girls each. DISCLAIMER The information shared in this document has been derived from the residents/women/persons living in the mentioned RLA and are associated with Prerana through its various interventions and work done in the area. The Prerana team has attempted to maintain a high degree of accuracy while creating this resource. The document is primarily for informational purposes only. Feel free to share your suggestions or ask questions on [email protected]

Chhaya Jagtap, Mugdha Dandekar, Data Collection by Prerana's Night Care Center Team: Sheetal Jadhav, Jyoti Sasane

Picture Credits: Azra Qaisar, Flarantxa Pereira FOLLOW US ON