Psychological treatment facility in all PHCs, UHCs sought
As the Covid-19 pandemic had led to stringent lockdowns, thousands of sex workers had been unable to perform work and earn
VIJAYAWADA: Vimukta, a forum of sex workers and survivors of trafficking, said on Saturday that all primary health centres and urban health centres, hospitals and clinics should be equipped to offer counselling and psychological treatment.
Speaking at a meeting ahead of World Mental Health Day on Sunday, Vimukti president S. Meharunnisa and secretary G. Pushpavathi said it was time for the government to take up community-level mental health treatment services and campaigns to prevent suicidal tendencies among informal labour including sex workers, especially due to the lockdowns.
They said that as the Covid-19 pandemic had led to stringent lockdowns and other restrictions, thousands of sex workers had been unable to perform work and earn. They said that arrests, fines, violence, disruption in supply of aid by law enforcement agencies, and compulsory deportation had been reported by sex workers, fuelling concerns that the pandemic was intensifying stigma, discrimination, and repressive policing.
Among other demands, the Vimukti leaders said the government should make mental health and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) testing a mandatory precursor to rehabilitation of survivors of human trafficking, implementation of community health programmes for sex workers at least in three districts where the populations are higher, and support NGOs to provide trauma care to victims.