There are some 3 million sex-workers in the country, an overwhelming majority in the year group. Share Via. Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal together accounted for about a fourth of the total respondents.
Get our Daily News Capsule Subscribe. Thank you for subscribing to our Daily News Capsule newsletter. Whatsapp Twitter Facebook Linkedin. Sign Up. Edit Profile. Subscribe Now. Further research into this issue revealed great concerns. A majority of sex workers are victims of trafficking, they were forced into prostitution , mostly at a very young age in their life.
Nearly people across five cities were interviewed for the report that will be published in the Indian journal of victimology and criminology next month. In India, 95 per cent of the trafficked victims are forced into prostitution, shows data by National Crime Records Bureau.
However, these numbers are just a fraction of the actual reality as sex traffickers work in a clandestine way, says Shekhar. They have to borrow from informal sources like pimps and brothel operators. The study further says that if situations do not improve by March , the debt amount can become an intergenerational bondage where sex workers might force their daughters too in sex work for repayment.
Brothel keepers regularly recruit young girls. In Bangalore, Calcutta, Delhi, and Hyderabad, there are an estimated 10, girl prostitutes. Girl prostitutes are grouped as common prostitutes, singers and dancers, call girls, religious prostitutes or devdasi, and caged brothel prostitutes. Religious prostitutes are mainly found in the South. The situation in Mumbai is more depressing.
Thus there arises an emergent need to control prostitution. The abolition of prostitution is a mammoth task as it is an ancient practice and has existed too long. Though it has been described to be illegal, it is still continued. This could be due to a lack of enforcement of laws or due to the inability to restrict this practice. To combat this issue, the legalization of prostitution could be adopted since abolition appears to be a daydream.
If prostitution is legalized, the State will acquire responsibility to manage brothels and it can fulfill this obligation by issuing a license to authorized persons. It shall also formulate guidelines regarding the age of prostitutes, database on clientele, adequate remuneration and medical facilities to the prostitutes. By this method, the prostitutes can acquire some rights such as the right to medical care, the right to education of their children, right against exploitation and rape, etc.
This method can facilitate the eradication of sex racquet operations, hidden and street prostitution, abuse of prostitute, etc. There shall be protection houses established for those prostitutes who have lost their livelihood, or those who were forced into prostitution but do not want that lifestyle anymore. Also, the government can impart training and basic education to these prostitutes so that they find other means to earn money and sustain their livelihood.
On the flipside, legalization of prostitution could be misinterpreted as the promulgation of prostitution. This could pave the way for easy money for prostitutes and could encourage more women to practice prostitution. There is a great possibility that this could be a revenue-generating industry for the Government.
Thus rules have to be stringent to regulate this industry so that it is not legitimized and that is the least the government can do to address this issue. The issue of prostitution has become the need of the hour and Governmental agencies are required to address this issue at the earliest.
The legalization of prostitution appears to be more practical and feasible than trying to abolish prostitution as the government has been trying it for decades and hardly struck that note. The lives of prostitutes are saddening and it is in the hands of the society to evolve which could be catalyzed by the Governmental Institutions.
The male prostitution industry is still unrecognized by law and it calls for due attention. On that note, laws shall be amended to include men along with women. In the present scenario, private prostitution is not recognized as an offence. Thus a customer is not penalized and there is no provision under any statute to do the same. Prostitution is a topic where laws are have not fully evolved yet. It is silent about male prostitution and bisexual acts of prostitution.
The rights of sex workers have no place in any statute. According to Section 7 of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, , the existence of red light areas in the vicinity of public places like schools, colleges, temples, etc. However, there is no provision stating that the red light area is illegal as such. The Indian Penal Code of penalizes child prostitution by granting ten years of imprisonment or fine for a person convicted for buying or selling children for the purpose of prostitution.
The answer is no. Operating a website for prostitution will amount to the solicitation and this is an offence under the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act, They are not allowed as such an act is considered to be solicitation which constitutes an offence.
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