By Ashoke Raj
Colombo [Sri Lanka]July 30 (ANI): Sri Lanka, which is battling a crushing economic crisis, is now facing another problem with its women, most of them having lost their jobs in the textile sector, now forced to become sex workers to earn a living.
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In the wake of the country’s unprecedented crisis, 22 million Sri Lankans face enormous hardship and the prospect of poverty. The difficulties brought about by the current situation in the country have pushed many families to the limit. A large number of people in Sri Lanka face difficulties in managing their household with daily struggles to acquire food and essential items.
This dire situation has seen makeshift brothels spring up all over the country. According to Stand-up Movement Lanka (SUML), a group working for sex rights, there has been a 30% increase in prostitution in recent months as women here are forced to become sex workers to earn a living. workers.
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Some of these establishments function as spas and wellness centers. Many say this is the only way to provide their families with three meals a day.
“Women working in the textile industry are resorting to ‘sex work’ after being laid off due to the economic crisis,” Ashila Dandeniya, executive director of SUML, told ANI.
“Due to the current crisis, we have noticed that many women are engaged in prostitution. Most of them are from the textile industry. After the covid, the textile industries were affected and many jobs were cut and now the current situation forces them to practice sex. work for their livelihoods,” he said.
21-year-old Rehana (name changed) shared her story with ANI about how she transitioned from a textile industry employee to a sex worker. Rehana lost her job seven months ago and after months and months of despair, she turned to prostitution.
“In December last year, I lost my job in a textile factory. Then I got another job every day. Sometimes, when the labor force was less, I went to work. But I couldn’t get the money because I did not get it regularly and it was not enough to meet my needs and the needs of the family. Then a spa owner approached me and I decided to work as a sex worker because of the current crisis. My ment refused to accept the offer but was in dire need of money for my family,” he told ANI.
Forty-two-year-old Rozy (name changed) is another of the many who became a sex worker.
The mother of a seven-year-old boy, she was divorced and needed to earn enough to pay for her daughter’s education and rent.
“The income is insufficient because of the economic crisis. The money is not enough for my family’s household needs. That’s why I chose this. I have a shop and I have to pay to keep it running. Because of ‘this problem now there are many prostitutes. “, he told ANI.
It is also believed that one of the main reasons for becoming sex workers is that girls and women who used to earn between 20,000 and 30,000 LKR per month, are getting between 15,000 and 20,000 LKR per day. But there are many problems they face.
The executive director of SUML further said, “Many sex workers started living with their partners, but due to the crisis the couple had to leave many girls. Many of them have also become pregnant.. .. currently we have two girls who are pregnant and we have to take care of them and we don’t get help anywhere not even from the government.”
Earlier in an interview with ANI, UN World Food Program (WFP) Sri Lanka Country Director Abdur Rahim Siddiqui said that 6.3 million people in the island nation are food insecure. He said the country’s economy is currently facing the worst food crisis since independence and staggering inflation is expected to rise in the coming months.
“Sri Lanka has been facing a severe food crisis since independence. The food inflation rate is over 80% till June and this trend is likely to pick up in the coming months,” Siddiqui said.
Sri Lanka is facing acute shortages of fuel, food and foreign exchange and is going through a worse economic crisis. The people of this island nation are hoping that the IMF will give a rescue package. (ANI)
(This is an unedited, auto-generated story from the syndicated news feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
