Video calls, GPay: Sex workers turn to tech to earn a living in Tamil Nadu

Illustration by Shinod Akkaraparambil
CHENNAI: For the past two months, Lakshmi* has hardly stepped out of her home. But every night, after her children go to bed, the 35-year-old sex worker puts on makeup before wandering up to the terrace to make surreptitious calls to her clients.

"I have hardly earned any money since the pandemic began. When you can’t even shake hands how are we supposed to do our work," she asks. "A few weeks ago, one of my friends told me that she has been making video calls to her clients. It doesn’t pay much but something is better than nothing."

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on sex workers. Left without an income overnight, they are struggling to make a living. Those who have access to mobile phones and internet are now turning to phone sex and virtual sexual encounters to keep the regular clientele interested while others are trying to find other means to earn a living.

"Many clients make WhatsApp video calls to the sex workers. If they like her, they strike a bargain," says Gajalakshmi, former peer educator. Money is transferred into the sex worker’s account, using GPay or any other digital platform. "If the sex worker doesn’t have enough balance, they also recharge the account for her. Many clients are men who are alone during the pandemic."

Why turn to sex workers virtually when there is plenty of pornography available online? "People think sex means just ‘body’ but actually some people want to just talk dirty or even romantically with someone," says a sex worker, adding that the money paid varies. "If the customer finds the sex worker beautiful, they can charge higher. It also depends on the time spent on the call."

Phone or virtual sex does pay less. Also, female sex workers in TN find it difficult to pursue it during lockdown, says Shyamala Nataraj, executive director, South Indian AIDS Action Programme (SIAAP). "Most of the sex workers in TN are ‘hidden’ as there is no designated red light area. Some women we are in touch with say that they find it inconvenient as they are in their own homes with their partners, or children," says Nataraj. "So, though some of them are resorting to phone sex, others are trying to find alternate sources of income. In Kanyakumari, these women are raising hens and selling organic eggs. You need only Rs 5,000 as investment and can make about Rs 80 a day as they get Rs 10 for one egg. But obviously, that’s not enough to sustain them. In Theni, women are setting up small eateries."

Transgender sex workers are able to turn to phone sex more easily as they live in their own communities and also have more access to technology, says Nataraj. "A survey we did about four years ago showed that more than 90% TG sex workers in TN had smartphones, while only 30% female sex workers had access to it," she says.

Rajesh Uma Devi, executive director of Sangama, an NGO, says loss of livelihood has caused anxiety and fear among sex workers. "Women’s access to technology is less. Trans people have more access to internet. Younger sex workers do have better access and some have begun using phones. But with video calls, there are issues of privacy as people can record it," he says, adding that since sex work is ‘informal labour’, the government needs to provide social security schemes.

For the time being though, sex workers like Lakshmi are relying on technology. "Some NGOs have given us rations but it is not enough. I also don’t want to lose touch with my clientele," she says. "I don’t know what the future will bring, but I need to look after my family."

(*name changed)

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