Humanizing the Economy by John Restakis

Author:John Restakis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BUS099000
ISBN: 9781550924619
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Published: 2010-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

From 1995 to 1998, USHA had only 200 members. Women were fearful. The co-op’s attempt to establish a credit system for sex workers was a direct challenge to the moneylenders and their sponsors and their reaction was swift and brutal. Dr. Jana and his staff received death threats. Bombs were used against co-op organizers and outreach workers. Sex workers who had joined the co-op were savagely beaten up. Most vicious of all were the “youth clubs” who were controlled by landlords and who were in league with the loan sharks who financed their activities. These included “community festivals,” religious events and the collection of puja (offerings) for temples and assorted Hindu deities. All these activities were part of the trappings of local power in the district and a cover for the more sinister role these youth played in intimidating and harassing the women on behalf of the local bosses. It took two years of determined struggle to dissolve the fear that sex workers had of joining the co-op. Today, of the 16,000 sex workers that work the area, 12,800 are members of USHA.

The work of USHA Multipurpose Co-op, in tandem with the programs developed by Durbar, has revolutionized the lives of its members. In a pale yellow building situated at the end of a narrow lane, eight staff run USHA’s credit program out of a bustling second floor office. On the ground floor, clustered along the benches and the stairwells in the entranceway, groups of women are always present, using the USHA building as much as a social center as a place of business.

Without access to credit and the ability to save money, sex work is akin to bonded slavery. Through their membership in USHA, sex workers have been able to save money, take out loans and even invest in businesses and property as a means of transiting from sex work, particularly in their older years. This small measure of economic power and independence also means that a sex worker can now afford to refuse service to a client who won’t wear a condom or who is a threat to her safety. The government, despite its original reluctance to incorporate the coop, quickly recognized the value of the project and became an early investor. It purchased 40,000 refundable shares, each worth 100 rupees, to help capitalize the credit union. These were repaid with dividends in five years. Currently, the government holds 300,000 shares and has two non-voting representatives on USHA’s twelve-member board. USHA members hold about 1,500,000 rupees in shares.

To join USHA a member must purchase ten rupees in member shares, plus five rupees for books and materials. They must be 18 years of age or older. When members take out their first loan, they must also purchase 400 rupees in investment shares. Thereafter, if members wish to take out further loans, they must purchase an additional 500 rupees in investment shares for every 10,000 rupees they borrow. In this way the capital stock of the co-op grows as their loans increase.

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