The 28-year-old is a sex worker, and the building is the headquarters of Usha Multipurpose Co-operative Society Ltd, the country’s oldest co-operative bank managed by and for sex workers. The sex workers are dependent on local money lenders who charge exorbitant interest rates, landing them permanently in debt. Read | Mobile money finds its way into sex workers’ worldThe bank has two branches in Kalighat, also in Kolkata, and in Dinhata in Cooch Behar district. Sex workers vent their ire on us,” said Satabdi Saha, deputy manager in the bank. Read | Sex workers’ only puja falls silentSex workers said some of them are cutting their rates to lure customers but even the discounts are not good enough to revive business.

Source: Hindustan Times February 19, 2017 02:26 UTC