Harsh REALITY of a S*x Worker: GB Road, Human Trafficking & Inside Stories | Gitanjali Babbar ST-219

Geetanjali Babbar — Inside Delhi’s GB Road: Human Trafficking, Sexual Exploitation & Survival

What really happens inside Delhi’s GB Road? How are young girls brought into the system? Who controls the networks that keep women trapped? And what does life actually look like for the women living and working inside these buildings?

In this episode of Supertalks, Raghav sits down with Geetanjali Babbar, a social activist who has spent years working on the ground with marginalised women and children, including the women of GB Road — one of India’s most well-known yet least understood areas of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

This is not a sensational conversation. It is an attempt to understand a reality that exists in the heart of Delhi, often hidden in plain sight.

What we cover: The reality of GB Road and what life looks like for the women living inside it. How girls from villages are lured into cities with promises of a better life and eventually become trapped in a system they cannot easily escape. How trafficking networks operate across India and the people behind them. The role of poverty, family and social circumstances in pushing women into exploitation. How women are trained, controlled and kept inside the system. The health crisis inside brothels, including HIV, alcohol dependency, physical abuse and other risks. Stories of women who found love, lost it and were later exploited. The rare cases of women who fought back and found a way out.

Geetanjali discusses Kautilya’s Arthashastra and its references to Ganikas — women who, in that historical context, could hold a recognised position in society and have certain rights and responsibilities. We also discuss how the meaning and perception of the word “Ganika” has changed over time and how language itself can become a form of stigma.

But the conversation is not only about the problem. It is also about the possibility of change.

What happens when a woman manages to leave? What kind of support does she need to rebuild her life? Why awareness, rehabilitation and stronger systems are essential to breaking the cycle? And what can society do differently?

At the heart of this conversation is one important distinction:

The women trapped inside these systems are not the criminals.

They are survivors.

GB Road exists in the middle of Delhi. Thousands of people pass through its surrounding streets every day. Yet the lives inside those buildings remain largely invisible to the rest of society.

This conversation is an attempt to look beyond the stigma, understand the people behind it and confront a reality that cannot be solved by simply looking away.

🎧 Available in Audio & Video on Spotify.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode discusses sensitive topics including human trafficking, sexual exploitation, violence, substance abuse and HIV. The discussion is presented strictly for social awareness and education. Supertalks does not glorify, promote or sensationalise any of the issues discussed. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

If you or someone you know needs help:
Childline India: 1098
iCall India: 9152987821
National Human Trafficking Hotline India: 1800-419-8588

Keywords: Geetanjali Babbar, Geetanjali Babbar Arpana, GB Road, G B Road Delhi, GB Road Delhi, Delhi red light area, human trafficking India, human trafficking Delhi, sex trafficking India, sexual exploitation, sex workers India, women trafficking, trafficking networks India, women in GB Road, life in GB Road, GB Road reality, prostitution in India, exploitation of women, women empowerment, social activism, social activist India, human rights India, child trafficking, trafficking survivors, rehabilitation, HIV in sex workers, substance abuse, Arpana NGO, Kautilya Arthashastra, Ganika, Ganikas in ancient India, ancient India sex workers, history of Ganika, sex work in ancient India, social justice, women rights, Supertalks, Raghav Sharma.