The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a compliance report from the West Bengal government officials on recommendations made by the NHRC survey for women on rehabilitation, poverty eradication, and employment generation for women in the ongoing case on the plight of sex-workers in Sonagachhi.


The NHRC is monitoring a case on the plight and sufferings of the Asia’s largest red-light area.


The Human Rights body has sought a detailed report within six weeks from the Chief Secretary and other officials in the West Bengal government on the implementation of recommendations made by the NHRC survey for women, a report by the New Indian Express said. 


In 2018, Supreme Court advocate Radhakanta Tripathy had filed the case wherein a series of directions have been issued and a survey by Calcutta University was conducted on NHRC's direction. Following the NHRC directive, the state government had carried out the  research study with the help of Calcutta University with a series of recommendations.


The Commission has time and again asked the West Bengal government officials to implement the recommendation given their social, medical and legal needs. However, the report said that till now no status report has been recieved on implementation.


The NHRC has taken inaction and failure of the state of West Bengal seriously as the final action taken cum status report on the implementation of directions in the survey work of the Sonagachi area etc, is still awaited, the report said. It further added that NHRC has not recieved any status report till now.


The NHRC survey dealt with work, rehabilitation, poverty eradication, and employment generation for women in Kolkata and its surrounding districts.


According to the report, the Survey reveals that out of the 500 samples, nearly 70% of the sex workers are residents of Kolkata and surrounding districts. The survey further found that most of the woman working there are earning merely Rs 10,000-20,000 per month, and have no property etc.


Out of these 500 women sex-workers, 60 workers were trafficked, 16 were brought on false promise for jobs, and 325 were working due to their poverty.


The report highlighted that only, 29 are working on their willingness, while 101 were unwilling to join the sex work.