deposit, before they take a customer to a private room. But in a desperate bid
to woo customer, they bypass all rules and promise all kinds of gratification to the
client.
If you happen to pass by these streets, you will hear loud noises of negotiations
and disputes, some of them are trying to rob unsuspecting customers with
fraudulent claims, and some clever customers are duping freelancers -- taking
hours of free work by promising carrots in the future.
As you walk further into these streets you will see numerous bigger brothels like
these. Some, packed with hundreds of workers earn larger revenues than
corporate AC harems. Their ringleader is looting money in broad daylight, paying
workers a quarter-dollar per hour, while he himself earns more than 100 times by
selling their work.
A large proportion of these freelancers come from the intellectual slave
subcontinents of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with an increasing number from
Indonesia, Philippines, the Middle East, and African countries like Egypt and
Nigeria. Most customers are still from the west, while homegrown customers are
increasing everyday to benefit from this brain trade.
Freelancing business in IT alone (like web design, system support, data entry,
analytics, technical writing, blogging etc) is estimated at atleast 5 billion dollars,
globally employing more 1 million regular and irregular workers and part-timers.
This piece was not included in the print edition of Edi-Blossom 2016, keeping in
mind that our readership included young children as well.
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