In March 2001 thousands of sex workers gathered in the Indian city of Kolkata for a festival organised to improve their rights and counter the stigma they faced. Sex worker groups across the world now celebrate this day in March as an annual event. Farhana Haider has been speaking to a former prostitute, Bharati Dey, who took part in the gathering.

Photo: Sex workers from around the world relax during the Sex Workers' Freedom Festival in Kolkata 2012. Credit: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images