Sramajibi Mahila Sangha (SMS) is a pioneering community-based organization led by sex workers, working since 1994 in West Bengal. With a strong legacy of resisting violence, preventing trafficking, and empowering women, SMS stands as a symbol of collective strength and resilience. From legal advocacy to healthcare, education, and leadership development, our work spans across red-light districts of West Bengal, touching thousands of lives.
Our Mission:
We empower sex workers and marginalized women by building collective strength, preventing trafficking, and fighting all forms of violence and exploitation. We strive to ensure dignity, legal rights, accessible health, and sustainable livelihoods through community-led initiatives and outreach efforts.
Our Vision:
A society where sex workers are free from trafficking, violence, and discrimination, recognized as equal citizens with rights and dignity, and empowered to lead change through solidarity, justice, and self-determination.
Our Objective:
Combat trafficking and exploitation while advancing the rights, dignity, and well-being of sex workers through community-driven interventions, legal empowerment, access to healthcare, and sustained advocacy for the recognition of sex work as legitimate labour.
About Us
Sramajibi Mahila Sangha (SMS) is a community-based organization committed to the empowerment and rights of sex workers, ensuring their voices are heard and their dignity respected. Established in 1994 in the Seth Bagan area of Kolkata, SMS is among the oldest self-help groups formed and led by sex workers themselves.
Born from the collective strength of women in sex work, SMS was created to challenge the injustices and violence they face – from clients, brokers, landlords, local goons, police and traffickers. We provide a safe and supportive platform for sex workers to come together, build solidarity and advocate for their social, legal, and human rights.
Highlights of Sramajibi Mahila Sangha
Established in 1994
Registration No.: S/76302 of 1993–94
Geographic Reach: 15 Districts of West Bengal
Focus Areas: Anti-trafficking, Health and Well-being, Economic Empowerment, Capacity Building, Legal Aid
Contact: sramajibimahila@gmail.com
Our Activities
Programs Led by the Sex Workers, for the Sex Workers
Health and Well-being
Sramajibi Mahila Sangha (SMS) prioritizes the health and well-being of the sex worker community ....
Legal Aid and Crisis Management
Sramajibi Mahila Sangha offers vital legal aid and crisis management support to ....
Public Relation and Networking
The Public Relation and Networking unit of Sramajibi Mahila Sangha builds strong community connections....
Capacity Building and Leadership Training
Empowering sex workers to lead their own struggles is at the core of ....
Our Events
At Sramajibi Mahila Sangha, our events celebrate the strength, resilience and leadership of the sex worker community. Throughout the year, we organize awareness campaigns, health camps, legal literacy & awareness trainings and cultural gatherings that bring together community members, allies and partners in solidarity. These events serve as spaces for dialogue, learning and empowerment – highlighting our work in anti-trafficking, health, education and rights based work. From observing International Women’s Day and World AIDS Day to hosting leadership training sessions and policy dialogues, each event reflects our commitment to justice, dignity and equality. Our community-led celebrations also honour milestones, achievements and the collective spirit that drive our movement forward.
Future Plan
Fulfilling Our Mission: Inspiring Vision, Driving Objectives for Positive Change and Empowerment.
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Secretary Message
Empowering sex workers with dignity, equality, and rights since 1994.
Dear Friends, Supporters and Allies,
We, the sex workers’ community, founded SMS with one vision – to stand for ourselves, to speak in our own voices, and to shape our own futures. Since 1994, SMS has been a movement led by sex workers, for sex workers, proving that when we lead, we create change rooted in dignity, rights and equality.
Our journey has never been easy. We have faced stigma, discrimination and violence, yet our collective strength has transformed pain into power. Through our community-led initiatives – from preventing minor and unwilling trafficking and ensuring healthcare, to educating our children and providing legal support & trainings – we have shown that empowerment begins from within.
At SMS, we do not seek pity; we demand respect. We are workers, leaders, and change-makers – building a world that values sex work as work and every woman’s right to dignity and justice.
