Raj Shamani's Figuring Out

Life of S*x Workers: Prostitution, Human Trafficking & Forced S*x | Gitanjali | FO401 Raj Shamani

Aug 29, 2025
Gitanjali Babbar, founder of the Kat-Katha Foundation, discusses the harsh realities of women in India's red-light districts. She shares powerful stories of resilience amidst exploitation, revealing the complex dynamics of choice and coercion in sex work. Gitanjali emphasizes the urgent need for societal awareness, mental health support, and systemic change to combat human trafficking. Engaging listeners with personal narratives, she highlights the transformative potential of education and the role of community in empowering marginalized individuals.
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ANECDOTE

Drugging And Control Behind The Facade

  • Gitanjali describes meeting a drugged sex worker in Reno who was confident at night but found starving and disoriented the next morning.
  • She observed operators watching from the roof and girls being drugged and controlled, revealing hidden coercion.
INSIGHT

Progress Hides Deep Local Failures

  • Gitanjali argues visible national progress masks extreme deprivation in slums and red-light areas.
  • She says inspecting red-light areas reveals how childhood dreams were broken by systemic neglect.
ANECDOTE

Children Forced Into Brutal Shifts

  • Gitanjali recounts girls trafficked at ages 10–12 forced to serve dozens of clients daily, leaving them like "dead bodies."
  • She reports one girl attended 70 clients in a day, describing severe physical and emotional trauma.
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