Legalising Prostitution in India

Introduction Welcome to a world trapped between 'illegal' and 'immoral': Prostitution might be illegal in India, but the business of life goes on. Calling it illegal is a superfluous formality and denouncing it as an immoral blotch on society. Recognizing it as a profession will at least reduce the real illegalities that come with it, li e child prostitution, drug abuse, and crime. National scenario !ocieties in which prostitution is legal ha"e concluded that it is best to regulate a profession, which will ne"er disappear. India should learn from these societies, rather than pretend that prostitution doesn't e#ist here. $specially when figures re"eal that the business of se#%wor ers ta es a dip when it is "acation time for colleges. &here are o"er '.( million prostitutes in India and a )uarter of them are minors* Child prostitution is one of the issues facing our country today. &he increasing incidence of the +I, "irus is on the "erge of a threshold, which, if crossed, could see the epidemic affecting, perhaps, e"eryone in the world. &his profession ma es the se#%wor er the most "ulnerable. Global scenario -lobally prostitution is legal in Canada, .rance, Wales, /enmar , +olland, most of !outh 0merica, including 1e#ico 2often in special zones3, Israel, 0ustralia, and many other countries. It's either legal or tolerated in most of 0sia4 0ustralia has a se#%ser"ice company whose stoc s are traded on the stoc e#change. Pros of legalization 5o go"ernments, no matter how hard they ha"e tried, ha"e been successful in abolishing prostitution. Prostitution is a reality and the chances of eliminating it are practically nil. 6y legalising prostitution, we also legalise the fight against !e#ually &ransmitted /iseases 2!&/s3 and the 0I/! epidemic. 7ust li e laws ha"e managed to do with untouchables, legalising prostitution will gi"e dignity to se#%wor ers and sa"e them from li"ing as second grade citizens. 0 separate hub can be created for it and health of se# wor ers can be monitored. 8egalisation will deter police from e#torting money from the helpless se# wor ers who are forced to gi"e a part of their income to the policemen to let them li"e in peace. 8egalisation of the profession will at least gi"e a human face to the profession, where prostitutes are, otherwise, are treated as outcastes. 5orms should be laid out for registration in terms of space, hygiene and medical facilities a"ailable. &here should be periodical medical chec %ups, and it must be made mandatory for e"ery indi"idual in the profession to possess a proper health certificate. 6rothels should also be ta#ed li e any other business house, and a certain amount should be earmar ed by the go"ernment for pro"iding medical facilities to se# wor ers. &heir families and especially their children should be ta en care of. 0 rehabilitation programme for se# wor ers wanting to opt out should also be wor ed out. !e# wor ers should be made to wor only in the alloted areas or zones. 6rothels must be situated away from residential areas and educational institutions. In India women are forced into prostitution due to po"erty and illiteracy. !o women in this profession become carriers of 0I/! and other deadly diseases. &o combat with this situation, women9s organisations can be brought in to wor at the grass%root le"el and to form a lin between the se# wor ers and the go"ernment. Cons of legalization

0s it is said, :$"ery coin has two sides.; 8egalisation too has some shortcomings: 8egalising prostitution would benefit the facilitators and the pimps, not their "ictims. In India, where women are coerced into the trade and ept in it almost li e bonded labour, such a mo"e will not benefit them. Commercial se#ual e#ploitation is a form of sla"ery and sla"ery cannot be legalized. India should not compare itself with other Western countries, where prostitution en<oys legal status because our societal customs are most unli e those in the West. !ince abortion is illegal in India, there is no )uestion of legalising prostitution. !o gi"ing this business a legal status only means society is gi"ing appro"al to the flesh trade. !ome critics say, prostitution wrec s personality and affects marriage relationships. Prostitution affects family life, communicates diseases and thus brings social disorganization. Conclusion Closeting the flourishing profession of prostitution as a morality issue not only amounts to ignoring the e#ploitation of the commercial se#%wor ers, who feed on the income they generate, but the larger issue of 0I/!. What is re)uired is a practical approach. 6y according legitimacy to the se#%wor er, millions of women who enter into this trade to feed their families will be freed from the clutches of pimps, brothel% owners and cops on the ta e. 8egalising prostitution will see these women, who li"e life on the edge e"erywhere, gaining access to medical facilities, which can control the spread of 0I/!. &imely se# education to se# wor ers can ma e them aware of "enereal diseases attached with this profession. $mployment opportunities for women, who ha"e no alternati"e than to enter this profession, can play wonders. Remo"al of widow marriage, the social custom that is still followed in most of the Indian "illages, can help curb prostitution. &here is a "ery strong need to treat the se# industry as any other industry and empower it with legal safeguards, which would rid this wor place of e#ploitati"e and unhealthy practices. &he rising number of 0I/! cases in India and the number of innocents being forced into the flesh trade are alarming. &he time has come for lawma ers to be more serious about this issue. 8egalisation is the answer.