What Are Some Key Facts About the Red Light Areas of Chennai?
One of the known facts about Chennai and its sex industry is that it does not have a designated red light district. It is suggested, however, that red light areas are around Kodambakkam, a residential neighborhood area in Chennai and the center of Kollywood, or the Tamil film industry. The neighborhood also teems with brothels, adult theaters and strip clubs where sex workers usually gather and look for clients.
In the absence of a red light district, the sex workers in the capital city of Tamil Nadu work all over the place, including KK Nagar, Porur, Kodambakkan, Vadapalani and Kallarai. Because they do not have a specified sex-safe zone, street sex workers hang around the Merina Beach, lodges and brothels in Chennai. Most women working in the sex industry, however, are home-based and either work at the client’s home or meet at lodges whenever a client calls.
Unlike in other cities with designated red light districts, such as Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, the sex workers in Chennai are considered illegal and cannot carry their work without facing atrocities. Clients are also at risk of being robbed of their money when seeking illegal sex services. In 2014, in order to acquire protection from the government, the Indira Female Peer Educators Collective organized a group of female sex workers and requested a safe zone from the State government.
