Election Commission to Set Up Special Assistance Camp for Kolkata Sex Workers Facing Voter Registration Challenges

Rights groups working with sex workers hope the camp will offer clarity and relief. (Representational)

Kolkata:

Sex workers in Kolkata's Sonagachi area, facing uncertainty over the ongoing Systematic Integration of Registers (SIR) process for electoral rolls, may soon receive assistance through a special camp organized by the Election Commission to address their unique documentation challenges.

A senior official from the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office informed PTI that the commission has acknowledged concerns raised by multiple organizations regarding sex workers in Asia's largest red light district who cannot locate records from 2002, which is a mandatory requirement under the current SIR process.

The official explained that several organizations have identified significant gaps for women who never resided with their parents, were abandoned, or have been unable to maintain family connections.

"We have received reports that sex workers in these areas are completing the forms. If they require any assistance, we will extend our support. We understand many cannot establish any connection to the 2002 voter lists," the official stated on Wednesday.

"Once the draft roll is published on December 9 and hearings begin, we plan to organize special hearing camps in these areas to resolve issues immediately and ensure they don't encounter problems," he added.

The official confirmed that the Electoral Registration Officer will personally attend the camp to hear their cases.

This initiative follows a letter submitted last week by three organizations supporting sex workers and their children – Society for Human Development and Social Action, Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, and Amra Padatik. They informed CEO Manoj Agarwal that hundreds of Sonagachi residents risk exclusion from voter lists due to inability to meet the 2002-document requirement.

The organizations emphasized that obtaining documents from 2002 is virtually impossible for sex workers. Many women, having concealed their profession from relatives due to social stigma, cannot approach family members for necessary paperwork.

They also highlighted cases where women have no knowledge of their parents' identities, urging the commission to address these circumstances with appropriate sensitivity.

Anxiety has spread rapidly throughout Sonagachi, home to approximately 10,000 sex workers, where residents report that fear has disrupted daily life.

Many residents point out that the required documentation, particularly evidence of family details from the 2002 electoral roll, simply does not exist in their circumstances.

Several organizations met with the CEO's office again on Tuesday, reiterating that the SIR procedure must accommodate women with no means of accessing family histories.

Commission sources indicated these concerns are being taken seriously.

With draft electoral rolls scheduled for publication on December 9, claims and objections accepted until January 8, and verification hearings to be conducted between December 9 and January 31 before final rolls release on February 7, 2026, the administration is working to ensure sex workers aren't excluded due to circumstances beyond their control.

The proposed special camp in Sonagachi aims to examine cases on-site during the hearing window and process legitimate applications without delay.

The organizations have also highlighted that many sex workers already receive state welfare benefits, from Lakshmir Bhandar to widow pensions, questioning why their citizenship status should be scrutinized when they're recognized beneficiaries in government records.

Rights groups working with sex workers and their children describe the atmosphere as "deeply distressing" and express hope that the dedicated camp will provide much-needed clarity and relief.