If cricket’s here, can hookers be far behind?

Mega sporting events and flesh trade have always gone together. Be it the FIFA World Cup, Olympics or the Commonwealth Games, big ticket events, which draw crowds from all over the world, have always ensured great business for sex workers, and the 2011 cricket World Cup is no exception to the rule.

Hundreds of sex workers from all over the country are expected to descend on Bangalore for the cricket World Cup matches. According to an NGO activist, who works for the welfare of sex workers, during this cricket World Cup season, more than 3,000 sex workers, mostly from Kolkata, Pune and Mumbai are coming to the city. “The booking will be made online and brokers will supply the sex workers to the customers. There is a section of people, mostly professionals, who come not just to watch cricket, but also to have sex”, said the activist.

He said due to the huge demand for girls, brokers usually bring girls from outside the state. “The customers will book the girls through a main broker,” said the activist, adding that the demand is for girls who are under 20 and are unmarried and fair. While the unmarried would get around Rs10,000 to Rs20,000 per hour, the rate for married women would depend on their looks. The activist also said that each pimp would earn a profit of around Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 per girl.