"Indian sex workers suffer setback as watchdog U-turn on labour rights", 11 November 2020

India's sex workers suffered a setback...following a U-turn by the country's human rights body, which said women in prostitution should not be registered as workers or guaranteed financial aid from the government amid the fallout of Covid-19.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) last month asked state governments to recognise sex workers as informal workers, which would have entitled them to benefits and aid from a $23 billion fund for India's poor during the coronavirus pandemic.

While the watchdog's non-binding advisory was hailed by several campaigners as a boon for the rights of an estimated 800,000 sex workers across India, other activists said such a move would be illegal and risked legitimising sex trafficking...

The NHRC...issued a new statement that said sex workers could not be registered officially or categorised as informal workers. The rights watchdog said they should instead be given help on "humanitarian grounds" during the pandemic...

...The NHRC - which makes recommendations but has no power to enforce them - said it changed course following letters from campaigners questioning the legality of its initial advisory, which focused on protecting women's rights during Covid-19.

...Aarthi Pai, a legal advisor for the National Network of Sex Workers, said in a letter to the NHRC last month that a "worker identity" would protect sex workers from violence and abuses.