Abstract:
Sex work in India, like many parts of the world, is a complex and multifaceted profession that holds a unique position within the country's socio-cultural landscape. It is an occupation that has existed for centuries, intertwining with the broader context of India's rich history and diverse culture. Sex workers (Didis) face significant alienation, primarily stemming from the pervasive social stigma and negative stereotypes attached to their profession. The lives of sex workers are often marked by marginalization, discrimination, and limited access to essential services and spaces. However, a significant turning point occurred in 2022 with a ground-breaking legal decision that officially recognized sex work as a legitimate occupation, granting sex workers the right to dignity and equal protection under the law. This pivotal moment opens a unique window for the field of architecture to actively engage in the empowerment of this marginalized community.
This thesis aims to use architecture as a medium to offer a multi staged support while creating a neighbourhood like environment in doing so through design strategies for Didis which goes through many layers starting from the individual living and working as sex worker to the overall uplimftment and providing a choice to leave or stay in the profession with dignity.
Just as in any conventional neighbourhood, multiple subsystems (i.e. social, economic educational) coexist simultaneously, the design aims to introduce normalcy within the lives of it beneficiaries by overlapping its publics, skill building and residential spaces in a manner that ensure considerable privacy along with ensured interaction between subsystem parties.
Keywords— Women, vulnerable, sexual work, dignity, choice of living, live-work relation, street
