Women in Sri Lanka who were formerly employed in the textiles and garment industry are being forced to turn to prostitution and sex work, as an economic crisis on the island continues to impact on livelihoods reports The Telegraph.

“Poor politics has shattered my life and this is my only hope to put food on the table for my children,” on sex worker told The Telegraph.

According to the Stand Up Movement Lanka (SUML), there has been a 30 per cent increase in women joining the sex industry in Colombo since January alone.

“The whole garment industry is at risk,” said Padmini Weerasuriya, director of the Women’s Centre. “The cost of production has also gone up and factories have begun trimming down their personnel.”

The apparel industry has been particularly hard hit in Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. Sri Lanka’s Joint Apparel Association Forum warned last week that the country is losing 10 - 20% of its orders to India and Bangladesh as the ongoing crisis has shaken the faith of buyers.

“Some of the buyers have said that there is a high risk, so they have shifted 10 - 20% of their orders to India and Bangladesh,” JAAF Deputy Chairman Felix Fernando told interviewers at Derana.

“We could see up to one million people, mainly women, facing unemployment over the next six months if the economic crisis worsens as expected,” added Weerasuriya.

The rise in sex work has particularly been seen in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, where workers reports a wide range of clientele.

“Recently we had a famous member of the mafia in Colombo and I could see all his bullet wounds. I’ve had doctors, lawyers and even reverends,” said one woman. “There is this one, old professor and he can barely walk, but every time he comes he pays to spend time with all the girls at once.”

Read more from The Telegraph here.