Fifteen years ago, Sumitra was one of the richest among the lower rung of brothel owners in Sonagachi, Kolkata’s red light area. She ran 12 brothels that together housed more than 50 young women trafficked from far-flung areas. In addition, many women paid her half their earnings for the use of a bed. There was also money to be made when she sold the slightly older girls to “madames” who could afford no better.  Today, she sits on the pavement in tattered rags, folding and sorting a