SHOULD

PROSTITUTION BE
LEGALISED OR NOT
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION

Ill treatment by parent
Bad company
Family prostitutes
Social customs
Inability to arrange marriage
Lack of sex education, media
Prior incest and rape
Early marriage and desertion
Lack of recreational facilities,
Ignorance and acceptance of prostitution
Economic causes include poverty and economic distress
Psychological causes include desire for physical pleasure,
greed, and dejection
It is the world's oldest profession.

It existed across cultures and times.

India has the largest market for prostitution in South Asia, with Mumbai
alone being home to over 100,000 prostitutes. According to the Human Rights
Watch report, 15 million prostitutes of varied age groups, live and work in India.

Every hour, four women and girls in India enter prostitution, three of them
against their will.

Forced prostitution and human trafficking happens across the world
especially in the developing countries.

A large number of prostitutes in India are minors.

A significant portion of the sex workers in India are at the risk of being HIV
positive.

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FACTS to FACE






HIV/AIDS among prostitutes has emerged as a huge cause of concern.
According to a WHO report of 2001,
it is estimated that 50% of prostitutes in Mumbai (the city being hub to the
largest number of prostitutes in the country) are HIV positive

The mythologies surrounding virginity and exploitation of young girls in
prostitution and sex industry to supply virgin girls is a leading cause for child
prostitution Cases of repeated rape leading to prostitution is very common.

Elimination or legalization of prostitution and social issues attached to them
are not addressed with an open and compassionate mind.

Consensus and resultant action to eradicate child prostitution and forced
prostitution is still not there.
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FACTS to FACE

The current laws of India allow prostitution to thrive, but
attempt to hide it from the public. The primary law dealing
with the status of sex workers is the 1956 law referred to as the
Immoral Traffic (Suppression) Act (SITA). According to this law,
prostitutes can practice their trade privately but cannot legally
solicit customers in public. Organized prostitution (brothels,
prostitution rings, pimping etc) is illegal. As long as it is done
individually and voluntarily, a woman (male prostitution is not
recognized in the Indian constitution) can use her body's
attributes in exchange for material benefit. In particular, the
law forbids a sex worker to carry on her profession within 200
yards of a public place.

THE LAW GOVERNING PROSTITUTION IN
INDIA
Why should we legalize & regulate it?
Reasons are:
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.

By legalizing, government can earn a decent tax on this revenue,
which will be beneficial to the countrys economy.

Legalizing will ensure a secure & safe future for sex-workers,
their children and those whore involved in this.


Government can implement some rules which may include
Registration of each sex-worker
Licensing of brothels, dalals, 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.
These measures will lead to decrease in
STD/HIV Disease spread
Child trafficking,
women harassment, sexual violence, rape etc
There are some countries in which legalization of prostitution
not only worked miracle but they have been able to curb STDs :
Brazil Amsterdam (Netherland),New Zealand, Thailand,
The Philippines and many more..
Why should we legalize & regulate it?
Why shouldnt we legalize it?
Reasons are:

To legalize prostitution would lead to gender inequality.
Majority of prostitutes in India are women. By legalizing, we
openly commit ourselves to the notion that female body is a
commodity that can be bought by men for money/sexual desires.

Also its not a profession that should be promoted in India.
Because many of the sex-workers choose this as an Absence of
choice. Due to drug addiction, economical problems etc.

By legalizing we would be declaring this as a profession to earn
that is hazardous to higher educational goals of young
generation. It will become legitimate excuse for teenagers to
start dropping out from colleges; will lead to loss of valuable
workers/professionals.
Why shouldnt we legalize it?
Reasons are:

Spread of contagious diseases, High risk of exposure to street
crimes, unsafe sex, and unemployment.

Many legally young women would see this as a fast way to earn
money .Would you want your daughter/sister to think like that in
the future?

Increase in Divorce rates, hidden-illegal street prostitution.

It will be like putting a band-aid on a wound which will further
expand this industry instead of curbing it.

Legalizing prostitution will provoke the religious sentiments of
Indian culture.


CONCLUSION
Legalization of prostitution is a debatable and ongoing
controversy in India. However, it helps to remember that
prostitution has flourished as an industry for so many years
despite being illegal. Legalizing it, on the one hand, could push
more women as well as pimps to enter the business. On the
other hand, legalization gives the government and police
authorities more control over the brothels activities; it may be
possible to ensure that only women who want to work
voluntarily are employed there, and that they receive payment,
without being exploited or beaten.
Also, women who have been forced into the business need to
be rescued and rehabilitated.
The need of the hour is to stop trafficking, because trafficking
is a major cause of prostitution. 80 per cent prostitutes are
trafficked or forced into the business