Sex workers in the state are averse to their dwellings being termed “red-light district”. They say it adds insult to the life they have been forced into living.

Non-government organisation Mahila Development Centre, in association with Geneva Global, organised a state-level meet of stakeholders (a term NGOs use for sex workers) from the red-light districts in Bihar. Geneva Global provides customised services to non-profit organisations, helping them to create social impact. Fifty stakeholders from 22 districts participated in the meet.

Nazish (name changed) from Muzaffarpur, said: “After representatives from Mahila Development Centre asked me to send my 12-year-old daughter to school, I instantly agreed. Earlier, many people had threatened to reveal the locality my child stays in. I don’t understand why people call our locality a red-light area? If people call our locality by the name of the road or colony, it would help us lead a better life.”

Legend has it that years ago, houses where prostitution went on, switched on red lamps to signal they were open.