People do various jobs to survive and make a living. As long as the profession gives an individual a source of income and happiness, no one is supposed to comment and criticize, no matter what kind of profession it is. Unfortunately, patriarchy and status concerning society doesn’t make it any easy. People like domestic cleaners, garbage collectors, sewage cleaners, etc. are not respected in such a society. The worst-hit people are the sex workers or prostitutes who are never treated with dignity just because they sell their bodies for income.
What is Prostitution? It’s the practice of male/female engaging in sexual activity for payment. Many people, and especially those with conservative, religious views, believe prostitution is immoral because it involves sex for money, and they consider prostitution a sign of society’s moral decay.
FACTS ON PROSTITUTION IN INDIA:
1. 8 million sex workers in India–
There are currently 1.8 million sex workers in India, among which 10% are male(known as escorts) and the rest are females(known as prostitutes). Generally, it’s a misconception that sex workers are only females. But it’s true that some prefer men to perform sexual activity. Historically, this profession is one of the oldest professions; it is dated back to 2400 BC when women were sent to temples to entertain and satisfy the priests. Hence, it’s isn’t surprising that women are still viewed as an object to satisfy men.
2. Average age of a sex worker in India is 18-
Globally, the average age of a sex worker is 13, but in India, it’s 18, doesn’t mean that this benchmark is obliged. There are sex workers who’re younger than 18 because the brothel keepers believe that the clients prefer younger sex prostitutes to offer the clients their services. Apart from this, it’s also easy to manipulate a child and mold them according to the circumstances. Eventually, this leads to child abuse. According to the reports dated back to 2009, there are 1 million child prostitutes in India. Also, currently, more than 60% of prostitutes are underage.
3. One out of ten men pay to have sexual interaction with sex workers–
It provides a sexual alternative for men who lack a sexual partner or are dissatisfied with their current sexual partner. According to studies, it’s recorded that when a partner indulges himself/ herself to have sexual contact with a prostitute, it helps keep the divorce rate low, since having contact with a sex worker doesn’t require any emotional bonding which doesn’t give any room for infidelity. Some view that the immorality of prostitution should not prevent our society from dealing more wisely with it than it does now.
4. Prostitution is a booming industry–
It’s a controversial statement, to say the least. Since men pay a fair amount to the sex workers for their service, pimps who own the workers earn a good income out of it. They’re usually not named as “pimps” rather are known as their boyfriend, girlfriend, or marital partner. In India, brothels also called “Kota” which are run by the owners or “Malikins” are the ones who enjoy the profits. This results in poor income for the sex worker. 73% of the workers earn around Rs. 3000 – Rs. 5000 per month, while 27% of workers earn around Rs. 7000 – Rs. 10000.
5. 75% of sex workers face physical and psychological abuse–
In a study, it is stated that around 75% of sex workers face physical and psychological abuse. Many prostitutes believe that they are performing an important service for their customers, and this belief is perhaps more common among indoor prostitutes than among street prostitutes; sex workers deal with different kinds of clients that have different states of mind. Some men prefer violent sexual engagement and abuse the person offering them the service.
6. 80% of sex workers are raped–
About 80% of sex workers are raped. Even though the sex workers earn a considerate income, they lead a lethal and disrespectful life, nevertheless. Violence against prostitutes is never taken seriously due to their profession, but even sex workers indeed face abuse, infact, the worst kind of abuse. It’s predominantly faced by women and the extreme case includes murder. Feminists believe that prostitution is degrading to women and provides a context in which prostitutes are robbed, beaten, and/or raped.
7. 65%-85% of all prostitution is pimp-dominated–
Most prostitution involves pimps. Health service providers, shelter staff,
survivors of prostitution, and law enforcement sources estimate that 65%-85% of
all prostitution is pimp-dominated. Even though there are indoor sex dealings, most of the workers are operated by the pimps. Pimps take control of every activity of the worker, even if that requires bailing of the worker if sentenced with an offense. They live off the income of the worker and take away most of their remuneration.
8. Illegal brothels are run in metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai–
People from rural areas and economically backward backgrounds are tricked into coming to the cities for employment. Men, women, or children who are promised a job are usually deceived and thrown to the evil side of society. They become the victims of sex trafficking and are sold to the brothel keepers. Therefore, it promotes sex trafficking. The reports from the capital Delhi highlights that more than 41% of women enter this stream due to sheer poverty and 39% of people enter at their own will.
9. Prostitution is sexual exploitation, not sexual liberation–
It’s a misconception that a worker gets to perform sexual activity with partners regardless of gender. According to the research performed by the scholars, they believe that such activity performed for a prolonged period leads to uncertainty or destruction of a woman’s/ man’s sexuality. In this business, even a heterosexual male or female has to provide their service to the same sex. The preferences depend on the client with what type of person they want to possess sexual engagement. Either way, the sex worker has to oblige to the wishes in order to please the client.
10. One of the medium to spread STIs-
It’s considered to be one of the reasons for the widespread of Sexually transmitted diseases. The sex workers are often prone to be affected by deadly vernal diseases or becoming the medium of spreading such diseases. In India, after the awakening of the crisis which can lead to grave diseases such as HIV and infections like Herpes, 50% of the sex workers have inlined to use condoms and ask their clients to use it to prohibit the spread of these diseases. Despite the best efforts provided by the Social welfare department, there’s not much improvement beyond the occasional checkups and sadly, the law doesn’t recognize these women.
There’s a misconception among the crowd that prostitution is illegal in India. Fortunately, India has made this profession legal. The Immoral Traffic act which was laid in 1956 clearly states that sex workers are free to pursue the profession in private. Certain acts that facilitate prostitution are regarded as illegal and acts like managing a brothel, living off the money procured employing prostitution, soliciting or luring a person into prostitution, traffic of children and women for prostitution, etc. are made explicitly illegal; running a sex racquet is illegal but private prostitution or receiving remuneration in exchange for sex with consent without prior solicitation is legal.
Eventually, it comes down to a dilemma whether the law is harmful(whether it promotes human trafficking) or whether it ensures to keep social crimes in control. There is not much research on this issue, yet the scholars believe that the laws against prostitution do more harm than good, and they say that the best way to deal with prostitution might be to legalize and regulate. This will not only lower the crime rates, but it’ll also give the sex workers a sense of dignity, safety, and pride to live in a society without any fear.
