Hyderabad: Condemning the statement of the chief of the National Commission of Women for advocating the legalisation of prostitution, many women rights activists in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have called the idea “disgusting.”
Lalita Kumaraman-galam, chairperson of the National Commission of Women, had stated that she would put forth a proposal on the same at the empowered committee meeting of the Cabinet on November 8.
Women rights groups, however, said that the NCW chairperson was blind to reality and added that she was being nothing more than a mouthpiece for the HIV/AIDS lobby. They questioned her “thoughtlessness” and asked why they were not doing anything to punish the brokers who always got away during police raids.
Sunita Krishnan, founder of Prajwala, an anti-sex trafficking non-profit organisation said that she was sad and disgusted with Ms Kumar-amangalam’s statement to legalise prostitution.
“Today she is talking of legalising sexual slavery, at this rate tomorrow she will also talk about regularising and streamlining ‘rape’ as anyway they are not able to prevent it. I wish people understand that the very foundation of prostitution is exploitation and this trade thrives on exploiting the vulnerabilities of human beings.
And by giving licence, that is not going to change.” Ms Krishnan, who is also a member of the state Mahila Commission, added, “I wish she had the courage to question men who are willing to buy sex from anybody including children, instead of becoming a mouthpiece for the HIV/AIDS lobby, to sell condoms and ensure sustained business for pharmaceuticals,” she said.
Instead of empowering sex workers by creating alternative income generating schemes, activists said this would completely push them into flesh trade and also increase more crime against women.
Mamatha Raghuveer, advisory member with Tharuni, an organisation working for all-round development of adolescent girls and women, said, “No woman goes into flesh trade on her own; women are always forced.
If given an option, they are very much ready to come out of this. India is not like other countries, where they are identified by the government. Here, it is just slavery. Many women fall prey to situations and this is a way out to earn money. Legalising prostitution will only lead to increase in crime against women and children.”
Meanwhile Most sex workers start before 14 years
More than 45 per cent of the flesh trade in Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh thrives on girl children, and hundreds of minor girls are trafficked and forced into flesh trade every year.
Both the states together top the country in terms of human trafficking. As many as 558 victims were rescued by the police earlier this year, and most of them were minor girls. Experts said that legalising prostitution would completely enslave women.
They said that atrocities committed on any child now does not become “okay” when she becomes an adult years later, if by then prostitution is legalised for adults.
According to a WHO report, over 70 per cent of trafficked women and children across the world are initiated into prostitution when they are less than 14 years of age.
“After prostitution was legalised in the Nether-lands, it is estimated that between 1996 and 2001, the number of children in prostitution increased by over 300 per cent going from 4,000 to 15,000, and that 5,000 of these children were trafficked from other countries.
When it was legalised in Victoria, Australia, the number of legal brothels doubled and in just one year, there was a 300 per cent growth in illegal brothels,” said Sunita Krishnan, founder of Prajwala.
Experts said a not a single country in the world, where prostitution has been legalised, has repor-ted a marginal decrease in crime against women or children.
“In fact, not a single person in flesh trade can control any transaction in prostitution. The person always must do what the buyer wants. Studies have shown that most children have little or no bargaining power on condom usage.
This results in HIV/AIDS, STDs, cervical cancer and all forms of psychological disorders ,” said Geeta Vaidya, a doctor, independently working on rehabilitation of women out of flesh trade.
