Should prostitution be legalized

 The subject of my research paper is “Should prostitution be legalized?” It is written with
the context of an old Indian culture and the phase of changes in society, where at one
point of time just like the cast system even the profession of sex workers was socially
accepted and respectable! But gradually due to the change of time and cultural
diversities, this profession and people in it became socially out casted.
 I have tried to show the kind of treatment given to this segment of society and also given
history of its beginning to its current state. Based on various reference books and history
of India from Ancient to Modern time is given for the same.
 Along with history of Indian civilization where in different stages, with different
monarch, and different society with religious changes of that time, I have tried to cover
the account of same profession of sex workers in concurrent society of other countries
like Europe, Turkey and USA. This is to show a comparative study of Sex workers.
 By writing this research paper my initiation is to show the conflict of a segment of
society who is rejected by the advent of time, which is now ill-treated and exploited by
the underworld and by society itself. What preventive measures can be taken to give
them social, political and professional right with security; most importantly acceptance
in the society of today’s times? It’s like a fight against untouchablility in India and its
eradication.

 In ancient India, there was a practice of
having Nagarvadhus, "brides of the
town"(grooms). Famous examples
include Amrapali
 written in the 2nd century BC by Sudraka.
In Goa, a former Portuguese colony in India,
during the late 16th and 17th centuries, there
was a community of Japanese slaves, who were
usually young Japanese women and girls
brought or captured as sexual
slaves by Portuguese traders and their South
Asian lascar crewmembers from Japan
 During the British East India Company's rule in
India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it
was initially fairly common for British soldiers to
frequently visit local Indian nautch dancers.
 In the 19th and early 20th centuries, thousands
or even millions of women and girls
from continental Europe and Japan
were trafficked into British India

 It Increases :-
 Child Trafficking
 STD/HIV Disease
 Women harassment
 Sexual violence
 Drug addiction
 Easy money.
 Its Immoral.
 Its not our culture.

 In India close to three million women work as
prostitutes, of which 1.2 million are below 18. The
number of prostitutes rose by 50% between 1997 and
2004.
 Supreme Court of India in December, 2009 asked the
govt. “If you are not able to curb it by laws then
legalize it.” SC added that- legalizing prostitution would
help monitor the trade and rehabilitate sex workers.
 The red light district in Bombay generates at least $400
million a year in revenue, with 100,000 prostitutes
servicing men 365 days a year , averaging 6 customers
a day, at $2 each.
 About 5,000-7,000 Nepalese girls are trafficked to India
every day. 100,000-160,000Nepalese girls are
prostituted in brothels in India. About 45,000 Nepalese
girls are in the brothels of Bombay and 40, 000 in
Calcutta

 There are more than 100,000 women in prostitution in Bombay, Asia’s largest sex industry center. 90%
of the100,000 women in prostitution in Bombay are indentured slaves. In Bombay, children as young as
9 are bought for up to 60,000 rupees, orUS$2,000, at auctions where Arabs bid against Indian men who
believe that sleeping with a virgin cures gonorrhea and syphilis.
 Sonagachi in Kolkata, Kamathipura in Mumbai, G.B. Road in New Delhi, Reshampura in Gwalior,
Budhwar Peth in Pune , host thousands of sex workers & are the famous red light centers in India.
 Mumbai and Kolkata(Calcutta) have the country's largest brothel based sex industry, with over
100,000 sex workers in Mumbai. It is estimated that more than 50% of the sex workers in Mumbai are
HIV-positive. In Surat, a study discovered that HIV prevalence among sex workers had increased from
17% in 1992 to 43% in 2000. A major part of this industry is controlled by underworld mafias, Pimps
(Bharwas, Dalaal), Middle man, Agent, corrupted police etc. this is because of no legal acceptance of
this profession.

 “Based on information from the women themselves, women in
prostitution are observed to be prostituted through choices precluded,
options restricted and possibilities denied. Prostitution in this view is
observed to a product of lack of choice, the resort of those with the
fewest choices or none at all, when all else fails, as it often does. -
Catherine MacKinnon, American Feminist.
 “Necessary step [to prevent rape] is to legalize prostitution — carried out
in brothels or by call-girls — provided the sex workers are adults and
have not been forced into the trade. The more you try to put down
prostitution, the higher will be the incidence of crime against innocent
women. You may find the idea repulsive but ponder over it and you will
realize there is substance in the argument.” – Lt. Khushwant Singh,
Editor The Hindu, Writer The Times of India.

 Poverty
 Prior incest and rape
 Lack of recreational facilities
 Lack of sex education
 Ill treatment by parents
 Family prostitutes
 Social customs
 Bad company

 The consequences of prostitution are:
• Venereal diseases such as AIDS,
vaginal herpes, gonorrhea, etc..
• Lead to drug and alcohol addictions.
• Precipitates mental weakness.
• Social rejection.
• Violation of the law.
• Unwanted pregnancies.
• Broken families.

 Legalizing will ensure a secure & safe future for sex-workers,
their children and those who’re involved in this.
 These measures will lead to decrease in
 STD/HIV Disease spread
 Child trafficking.
 Women harassment, sexual violence, rape.
 Abuse on the sex workers.
 Middle man like pimps, corrupt police and underworld mafia would be
under control and surveillance from its legalization.

 - Registration of each sex-worker.
 - Licensing of brothels, Dalaal, removal of middle-man.
 - Mandatory checks in order to ensure safety for the
sex-workers.
 - Girl child less than 18 years can be prevented from
entering into this profession.
 - STD/HIV Disease spread
 - Child trafficking,
 - Women harassment, sexual violence, rape etc.

 - Brazil
 - Amsterdam (Netherland)
 - New Zealand
 - Thailand
 - The Philippines
 - And many more..

acss2014 acsee2014
The Fifth Asian Conference on Social Science The Fourth Annual Asian Conference on
Sustainability, Energy & the Environment

Should prostitution be legalized

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