Spa workers protest against DCW, say they were tagged ‘sex workers’

NEW DELHI: A few hundred employees engaged at spas and massage parlours in the national capital gathered outside the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) headquarters at ITO on Monday to stage a protest, alleging that the panel had tagged them as “sex workers”, which had affected their livelihood.

Holding placards and banners saying “We are women …don’t tag us as sex workers”, the employees said their livelihood has been snatched from them and demanded that the women’s commission provide them with jobs.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal had last week said that said ‘prostitution’ rackets were running in the city in the garb of spa and massage parlours.

Maliwal had said that the commission had busted many such rackets in the city and had summoned representatives of the municipal bodies urging them to crack down on such parlours.

“We are also women and we work to earn a square meal for our families. How Maliwal (DCW chief) being a woman herself can tag us as sex workers. We want our livelihood back or else the commission should provide us with jobs,” said a protesting worker on the condition of anonymity.

Member of the DCW Vandana Singh, said, “We will keep working against the illegal activities being run in the name of spas. We will not let such rackets to function under the garb of spa or massage parlours.”

The civic body had been taking sealing action against centres found to be flouting norms. All such parlours have to seek licence from civic bodies to operate.

However, most lack this, said a DCW member.