Imagine: the company you are working with, do not give you any medical allowance and PF. You are not entitled to any compensation in case of injury or termination. Also, incase of misbehavior or harassment, you can’t file police complain. How would you feel? Angry or may be frustrated. Did you know millions of sex workers in India are living and working in condition much worse than mentioned above? Our ignorance is due to our unwillingness to know and face the fact. Prostitution is a fact; its existence is a reality. But, we don’t want to see it, for us it is as real as the roundness of earth. Although, we know earth is round but we can see only flat surface.
In India, approximately 2 million female sex workers are operating (this number does not include male sex workers. The Immoral Traffic Persons (Prevention) Act or PITA was passed in 1956 to fringe prostitution and gradually abolish it by criminalizing its various facets. The ambiguity in the law is visible, since it does not make prostitution a crime, but forbids sex workers from publicly pursuing customers. They can’t practice their trade within 200 yards of a public place.
Due to the muddled nature of law; prostitution in India is neither legal nor illegal. Though, prostitutes are sex workers, but unlike other workers they are not protected under labor laws. They are not entitled to minimum wage benefits, compensation for injury or other benefits like; medical, Provident Fund. However, they have right to rescue and rehabilitate (if they desire) and enjoy all the rights that other citizen of India have (only in theory, in practice things are different). Sex workers are often charged with crimes of imprecise names such as; “public indecency or nuisance”.
Recently, there has been demand for legalizing prostitution. According to the advocates of legalization; Legalizing prostitution will help minimize the negative impact of such an activity on society and the vulnerable members in the community. Legalizing will bring in government regulation; this will create a secure environment, for both sex workers and consumers. In a regulated environment, issues like health and hygiene, compensation will
be dealt appropriately. Also, regulation and control will help eradicate child prostitution.
It is doubtful, whether India will become a superpower in 2050. But, if present scenario persists, India will undoubtedly become super house of sexually transmitted diseases – it will be much before 2050. This can be prevented only by monitoring and regulating hazardous consequences of high risk sexual activity. Consistently high HIV infection rates among sex workers, coupled with lack of information, failure to use protection, may contribute to the spread of AIDS in the region and the country.
Prostitution: a word, prohibited to speak in our drawing rooms .Banned in election campaigns. A word: appropriate for talk shows and social workers. A word: which people like us can only speak as an abuse. The question we should ask ourselves- how long prostitution will be an unreal reality for us?
3 comments:
Umas,
Unfortunately, this is a sad, sad reality. It truly seems that as the world goes on, things that were unacceptable have become more acceptable and almost protected, especially sex and violence. Even bad language appears in most movies today, particularly child movies such as Shrek 2. I think for some of us, we feel overwhelmed by the obnoxiousness of the society. We feel that the government is so out of control that is terrifies us to the point of hopelessness, so, we become cowards. I know this sounds harsh, but, to a certain degree, I think it is a reality. Thus, leaving the problems of sex and violence in our world to fester.
Sadly,
Presious
Thanks for your kind words in regards to my blog and for following it.
It is extremely sad that not only the issue about STD's but the conditions that sex workers face everyday gotten so out of control
that there is no going back and legalizing prostitution seems like the only answer.
I don't live in India but I understand that if the problem is so out of control I would want prostitution to be legal.
I don't want to moralize prostitution but I don't judge prostitutes because who knows why that person had to take the drastic desicion to sell his/her body.
Before I used to frown upon this kind of people until as you will read in my future entries(on my blog) I was faced with a dilemma.
In a perfect world I wouldn't want prostitution to exist,neither hunger,nor hate or any of this things, but we don't live in a perfect world.
I believe it is time for us to accept that prostitution exists and that we can't turn our backs,pretending that is not there because sooner or later it will be in front of our face
Hello Umas,
This is Sreenivasu from India, Nice artical about prostitution, It is very bad work doing people.
This happen's not only in India, It happen's in entire world.
In my view India Is VERY GOOD COUNTRY in entire world.
India is the combination of different cultures.
There is no other country with lot of different languages.
All people from other contries like to learn YOGA from Indian's.
Lot of things are there from India, I can't write here.
I really don't know any thing about this.
In my view this happens, because of other countries, Indians follows everything from other countries.
This also happens like that only.
Definitely India become super power in future.
For example now India is going to Number ONE in Cricket.
India's BCCI Is Number One In Earnings.
This Time India Got One Gold Medal in Olympics, next time you can see big number.
Change comes from you.
First Try To Change Your Self.
Then Other People Follows Your Steps.
Slowly Slowly All The World Comes In To Your Path.
Thank You
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