A video montage based on footage acquired by CJ Roessler at the Calcutta Sex Worker’s Conference in November 1997. The text of this video is based on the Sex Worker’s Manifesto http://www.bayswan.org/manifest.html, a document composed by the DMSC (Durbar Mahila Samanya Committee or the Durbar Women’s Collaborative Committee). DMSC demands decriminalization of adult sex work and the right to form a trade union. (10 min.-2003)

“Negotiating Sex Workers’ Rights,” comes from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). It’s a montage-style take on the Calcutta Sex Worker’s Conference in November 1997. The goal of the meeting was to work toward decriminalizing prostitution and get better working conditions. It’s striking how many unionized sex workers there are in India…
–SF Chronicle 2007