Imphal, September 25: In a significant development, a group of Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs) has appealed to State security forces to stop harassing them.

Talking to the press somewhere in Imphal West district yesterday afternoon, they revealed how the highly stigmatized nature of their work is rendering them vulnerable to all kinds of harassments by some persons who are misusing their positions and looking for sexual favours.

"By the unfortunate circumstances of life or our drug habits, we are compelled to take up this line.

We are also human beings and we would also like to lead a normal and unstigmatized life like everyone else.

When we are so vulnerable already, please do not take advantage," appealed Gloria (name changed), one of the CSWs.

"My husband left me with eight children � six of them by a former wife.

I tried all means to live � from selling bananas to manual labour.

But all I got for my hard work was a pittance and I couldn't feed my children.

"Now, my children sleep with a full stomach every night," said Asha (name changed).

Asha bore purple bruises on her face, legs and arms � testimonies of violence meted out to her by State security forces during a recent gang-rape attempt.

"Many times some errant State security personnel would come in groups and demand sexual favours whether we are willing or not.

They would call us names, threaten to put us in lock-up, and beat us up.

Sometimes they would take away whatever money we have in our bags and in our persons.

"Sometimes when we run to the State security forces for help when customers harass us or some youths pretending to be cadres of underground outfits threaten us, they would abuse us and molest us instead of helping us.

This is something that really hurts us � that our protectors have turned abusers," said Gloria.

"Some of them would waylay us in the dark, and take our semi-clad or nude pictures with their mobile phones after forcibly disrobing us," she added.

"When we were young and pretty everyone � from customers to hotel owners will be our friends and treat us with love.

But in such trying times of problems or illness, they will call us names and drive us away.

Where do we go? There is no one to help us," said another CSW, Deepa (name changed).

What is more worrying about such incidents, apart from the abuse of power, is that such incidents and sexual encounters could be a major mode of HIV/AIDS transmission.

Ongoing research has already proved that the major route of HIV/AIDS transmission in the State has shifted from IDU to unprotected sex.

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