NEW DELHI: Maya (name changed) doesn’t know what Independence is. Ask her about it and she will ask you what it means or stands for. No, she doesn’t mean to be sarcastic; she is only curious to know what it is as all her life she’s been confined to a brothel and exploited.This 40-year-old woman from Karnataka is among the 4,000-odd sex workers living in GB Road, or Swami Shradhanand Marg as it’s more formally known today. She landed here as a 16-year-old and life hasn’t changed for better ever since. For her and others like her, August 15 or January 26 has no significance. Freedom holds no meaning in the hell holes they call home in which they suffer to survive. When TOI visited the area on Saturday evening, the only noticeable difference was light traffic. The roads were more negotiable as shops were closed. But for the women, it was like any other working day that entailed their waiting at staircases of brothels to lure customers. An NGO tried to make a small difference to their lives.