How does a billion-dollar industry fail to protect Indian sex workers

 

 

Prostitution in India is a taboo subject that is often avoided in public discussions. However, it is a harsh reality for approximately 16 million women and girls who are victims of sex trafficking and prostitution in the country. According to the National Crime Records Bureau reports 2020-21, more than 6000 female sex workers have faced physical violence and other forms of abuse, but the actual data may be higher.

Sex workers constitute one percent of the female population in India, i.e. 6,230,000 people. Within that population, 90% of sex workers are involved in generational prostitution. This means that prostitution is not only widespread but also deeply rooted in Indian society.

Prostitution has become a $100 billion global industry whose legal status varies from country to country. It is an industry that is present in all countries, with its own variations.

In India alone, prostitution has grown into a billion dollar industry with approximately 275.000 brothels and more than 10 million of commercial sex workers, although it is technically illegal here.  According to a survey by Havocscope Research Institute, India has a $8.2 billion sex trade industry, making it the seventh largest in the world.

Mumbai alone has 200,000 prostitutes; while in New Delhi, sex and brothel workers make an annual profit of $2 million. The average client pays $2, and all this for the sake of money. States such as Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa have also opened up as the new supply markets.

Whereas, child prostitution in India is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry. There may be as many as half a million children in brothels, more than any other country in the world.

Their clientele includes a wide range of people, from affluent businessmen, members of film and advertising industries, diamond merchants and politicians to truck drivers, migrant workers and other men who are separated from their families for long periods of time.

India is widely regarded as having one of the world’s largest commercial sex industries. It has emerged as a global hub of sex tourism, attracting sex tourists from wealthy countries. In fact, the sex industry provides a large amount of income for urban areas.

Factors behind the flourishing  of prostitution is in India,

Prostitution in India is a complex and multidimensional issue, and there are many factors that may contribute to its flourishing:

Poverty, lack of education, and limited employment opportunities- these are significant factors that drive individuals, particularly women, into prostitution. Many people engage in prostitution as a means of survival and to support themselves or their families financially.

Secondly, India has a long history of gender inequality, and women often face discrimination and limited access to resources and opportunities. This systemic inequality makes women more vulnerable to exploitation, including being coerced into prostitution.

Moreover, the legal status of prostitution in India is also complex. While prostitution itself is not illegal, many activities related to it, such as soliciting, running brothels, and pimping, are criminalized. This creates a legal ambiguity and exposes sex workers to harassment and abuse by the police and the law.

Sex workers are vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation, coercion and harassment by pimps, brothel owners and criminal gangs. Migration and human trafficking, particularly of women and children, also contribute to accelerating prostitution in the country.

Are Indian sex workers still struggling to live?,

Yes, despite having a billion dollar industry, Indian sex workers are still struggling. They lack food, water and basic amenities. They are forced to live in small, windowless rooms with no fresh air and running water. They also face many challenges, such as violence, stigma, discrimination and health risks.

Sex workers are able to earn only Rs 200-300 per customer by selling their bodies, and see three or four customers a day. With their earnings, they pay for rent, utility bills, food and medicines, as well as for the education and care of dependents. They also have to pay commissions to brothel owners and pimps, who often control the profession and take advantage of their vulnerable position.

Sex workers often lack access to basic social services, including healthcare, education, and housing. They face challenges in accessing healthcare services, including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, due to the stigma attached to their profession.

Many sex workers enter the profession due to limited economic opportunities and poverty. The lack of viable alternatives often leaves them with few options to earn a livelihood, perpetuating a cycle of dependency on sex work.

Sex workers in India often face social stigma and discrimination, which can prevent them from accessing essential services and support systems. This lack of social support further perpetuates their vulnerability and limits their options for leaving the profession.

Not only do they face said problems but they are also stuck in this profession as it is hard for them to earn money in a different and more 'dignified' way. They are often denied their right to education, keeping them and the generation to come, stuck in this cycle of humiliation, violence and exploitation. Even educational institutions discriminate against them and their children and deny them their basic rights.

Most brothels are owned by women who were former sex workers, who now employ their children because sexually enslaving one’s children is seen as a means to avoid living in complete poverty. This creates a cycle of intergenerational prostitution that is hard to break.

Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata are the major cities in India where brothels are operating illegally in large numbers. Prostitution in itself is neither illegal nor punishable under the act.

Sex workers in India have the same fundamental rights as any other citizen of India, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court of India has also recently affirmed these rights and issued directions to the government to protect and support sex workers.

In most of the cases they are ostracized by the police authorities encroaching upon their right to proper custody and life; a research study by the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 70% of sex workers in India were beaten by the police and more than 80% were arrested without evidence; inhumane treatment and inclination towards coerced sex have also gone unnoticed and ignored.

There is a general misconception that prostitution in India is illegal, but prostitution itself is legal as long as it is performed privately and consensually. However, many activities related to prostitution, such as pimping, owning and managing a brothel, are illegal under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.

Article 19 (1) (g) of the Indian Constitution gives the citizens of the country the right to practice any profession, which also applies to sex work. But unlike other professions, sex work is not regulated or recognized by law, which creates legal ambiguity: these rights are often violated, denied or ignored by the state, society and law enforcement agencies and thus focus more on eliminating prostitution than on recognizing and ensuring basic human rights for sex workers, which is probably not possible in their plight.