Lose The Floor, Lose The Moves

Updated on: 7 February 2024 6:08 pm

When Maharashtra deputy chief minister R.R. Patil ordered the closure of dance bars on August 14, 2005, more than 75,000 girls lost their jobs.
At least 20 per cent of them became prostitutes, statistics say many others took to drugs and alcoholism; some even committed suicide.
Thousands of tailors, mehndiwalas, make-up artistes, ironing shops, dependent on the dance bars, also lost out.
Many girls forced to have sex without condoms; social workers point to a significant rise in HIV infections.
Many girls accepted three-month "contracts" in places like Dubai, Oman. They went without passports, reliable agents or guarantees.