Araria's sex workers rally to demand security for women

Araria (Bihar), Apr 9 (ANI): To check the rising crime against women and spread awareness about them, a number of sex workers from red light area of Araria took out a rally here.

The rally was also attended by feminist icon Gloria Steinem, including philanthropy icons Peter and Jennifer Buffett, on April 7.

Apne Aap Women World Wide organized this rally, and asked the Bihar Government to immediately check crimes against women, such as trafficking, prostitution, child marriage, female feticide, dowry death, eve teasing and rape.

Manish K Jha, state head of Apne Aap Women World Wide, said women will have to protect themselves, hoping that the state government would make efforts to curb violence against women.

They visited Bihar on a "learning tour" conceptualized by Steinem, funded by the NoVo Foundation run by the son and daughter-in-law of Warren Buffett .

The India tour for the team started on April 2 with a visit to Gandhi Smriti in Delhi followed by a trip to Kolkatta and then Bihar's Araria district.

The demonstrators demanded security for women from the Bihar Government, and said if government fails to provide them adequate protection cover then women would be forced to come on to the road to defend themselves.

Ruchira Gupta, founder president of the organization, apprise the team about the coming together of all the marginallised women on a common platform to raise their voice.

Gupta founded Apne Aap Women Worldwide with 22 women from the red-light districts in Mumbai in 2002 before expanding its offices in Delhi, Calcutta and Bihar. (ANI)