India’s female gig workers facing harassment and unsafe conditions, seek change and justice

Selvi, a 37-year-old beautician with years of experience, arrived at a client’s home in Bengaluru earlier this year for a scheduled appointment to provide home-based beauty services. What awaited the mother of two was a shocking ordeal.

Instead of the wife, whose name was on the booking, the husband was at the door, requesting intimate services. Despite hours of appeals to her employer to cancel the appointment, Selvi received no support and fled the scene.

“How can I even tell my husband what I go through daily in my work? Female gig workers have zero safety,” Selvi said, who uses only her first name to avoid repercussions.

“Since we work indoors, in private spaces, anything can happen to us. We often work late into the evening, and many times, we lose mobile network access. Even during emergencies, our companies don’t respond for hours,” she added.

Selvi recounts another chilling incident: “One of my female colleagues was locked in a toilet for nearly two hours after a client snatched her phone for resisting sexual advances. When we complained, the company told us to simply give the customer a poor rating.”

These experiences are far from unique.