Conclusion

The concluding chapter revisits the main themes that emerged from women’s personal narratives: absence of male guardianship, stigmatizing gossip and whorephobia, poverty, child marriage, women’s violence against women, intimate-partner violence, impacts of ignorance and stigma concerning sexuality on women’s health, and the resilience and agency of women sex workers. Women sex workers’ voices and perspectives are then incorporated into analyzing various models adopted by non-governmental organizations for improving the lives of sex workers, including peer education; the rights-based approach; harm reduction and service delivery; and rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration. The women suggest changes in NGO activities and processes that would make such organizations more helpful to their clientele. The chapter ends by presenting some of the broader implications of the women’s life history narratives for sex work legislation and policy, the praxis of helping professionals in interacting with sex workers, and future research on sex work in India.