RTI application for female sex worker number

One of the RTI applications responded that India has almost 9 lakh female sex workers. A Delhi resident, Ved Pal, filled a RTI for it. A Health and Family Minister responded that the estimation of female sex workers is done through the mapping study undertaken in 2009. It is also informed that about 19% of them
were unregistered.

India has 8.6 lakh female sex workers and Andhra Pradesh has the maximum of 1.56 lakh practicing the flesh trade and Delhi has almost 61,000 of them. Then Karnataka and Maharashtra have been listed third and fourth in the tally.

In the reply he further said “Total number of registered sex workers is 6.96 lakh as per information from the state AIDS control societies. This number is based on the line listing of targeted interventions in the states and it may change as per the new registrations."

-Sonali