Dark underbelly of sex trade in Chandigarh With 3,100 registered commercial sex workers, the City Beautiful has an ugly truth, which reeks of poverty and exploitation.

The number of registered commercial sex workers (CSWs) with the State AIDS Control Society in Chandigarh is 3,100.

Slums and colonies on the periphery of Chandigarh are the epicentre of sex trade in the city.

Most of the sex workers are housewives, who have been either pushed into the trade by their family or abandoned by their husbands after which they took up this work to fend for their children.

There were several commonalities among the CSWs. Most of them were illiterate, poor, unskilled, had a strained childhood, and were victims of domestic violence.

Counsellor Sushma Kumari, who has been working in this field for several years, says she comes across many sex workers who have been tortured by their husbands for money.

“They choose this trade because they have to look after their children.”

For more details, read: Hindustan Times