Why does our society treat sex workers so poorly?

Yesterday I spoke with a sex worker, and what I discovered was quite distressing. She explained that she is involved in this due to poverty and the caste system. I asked her to elaborate on that. Then she explained that she belongs to a lower caste and that their forefathers had likewise done this kind of work. She lacks education and cannot find work. Society considers her as garbage; they shame her for her condition and never offer her a hand. I've heard that there are NGOs out there who try to help these individuals, but I'm guessing they haven't reached this particular area yet. She said she has a baby but doesn't know who it belongs to; therefore, she cannot get any support from the father. She does her best to get her child a good education, but we all know the conditions of government schools in impoverished areas. I know people my age that hire prostitutes for sex. I am 17 years old. One of my classmates indulges in this behavior. I tried to talk to him about this, and he had a scary mentality, to say the least. He sees them as objects to satisfy his desire. To him they aren't human; they are simply "whores." People around my age and much older hold similar views towards sex workers. They have never tried to understand their situation, and I don't think they ever will. However, the reason why I am making this post is because I want to find out how widespread this problem is. Please share your experience and observations regarding prostitution and the way our society sees it. Edit: For everyone wondering what I was doing chatting with a prostitute, I was on my way to the railway station. There are a lot of prostitutes out in the streets attempting to get clients back to their location. Their houses are fairly close to the train station. Every time I go to the train station, I see at least a handful of them. And this time, I spoke with one of them in order to satisfy my curiosity. Edit #2: Here is a list of charities that help empower women; please donate here if you want to make a contribution. [https://www.iforher.com/motivation/society-women/14-ngo-working-for-women-empowerment-india/](https://www.iforher.com/motivation/society-women/14-ngo-working-for-women-empowerment-india/)